


Friend or Foe

by walkingwookie



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben Solo gets a haircut, Celanon, Emperor Hux, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Force Bond (Star Wars), Inappropriate Use of the Force, Kira Rey - Freeform, Knights of Ren - Freeform, Knights of Ren are here!, Leia knows whats up, Original Character(s), PAD for President, PAD is my favorite, Planet Naboo (Star Wars), Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rey builds a lightsaber, Rey has a Past, Reylo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-03-28 20:28:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 35
Words: 118,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13911594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/walkingwookie/pseuds/walkingwookie
Summary: A month after the battle of Crait Rey and Kylo are adjusting to their new daily routines. Their force bond has been quiet up until now...





	1. Distance

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fic so please keep feedback positive. (If there is any!)  
> I'm not sure how often I'll be posting updates on this story yet, I'm still kind of trying to think it through. This fic is not rated because I'm not entirely sure where I'm going to be taking it...  
> Please enjoy! <3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A month after the battle of Crait. Kylo and Rey's force bond has remained quiet as they've been adjusting to life since Crait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fic I've ever written... I hope you enjoy!  
> I'm not sure how often I'll be updating because I'm really busy with school and work but I definitely have some ideas as to where I want this to go.

A month after the battle of Crait. 

Rey:

Rey has been adjusting to her new routine at the old rebel base on Yavin IV. She finds the air humid and sticky, nothing like the dry heat of Jakku, but at least there’s no sand. 

Since settling in Rey has taken up practicing her meditation in the Tikal pyramids. The first week she spent on Yavin was spent trying to decipher the Jedi texts. Realizing they were un-translatable she gave up. Since then Rey’s been focusing mostly on sparring and meditation. Though in her free time she helps Chewie with repairs, engulfs herself in Leia’s stories, watches some of R2’s memories back, jokes with Fin, and learns how to fly an x-wing with Poe. A real x-wing! Rey prefers the Falcon though.   
Every morning at the break of dawn Rey treks through the thick forests to her secluded destination. 

The pyramids are overgrown with dark green vines and thick shrubs. The stone foundation to the main pyramid is cracked making it an unsafe environment but Rey doesn’t care. How is it any different from the Star Destroyers back on Jakku. Those were essentially hollowed out rust buckets, unstable in the loose sand but that never stopped Rey was scavenging them. 

Climbing the stone steps that lead up to the top of the pyramid reminds Rey of Ach-tu… only climbing these stairs was more difficult. Some steps were crumbly, shook when she stepped on them. Others were covered in vines making them more difficult to climb. Yavin IV didn’t have care takers keeping the pyramids in good shape. Rey held little trust in the soundness of anything on this planet to be honest. 

Every morning Rey reaches the top of the pyramid just in time to the morning sun creep its way into the sky. At the sight of this Rey feels rejuvenated and ready for the days ahead. Surrounded by light, in these first moments of the day Rey starts her morning meditation. 

Rey feels unstoppable. Free, yet the ache of loneliness still rings like a bell in the back of her mind. 

Every day at sunset Rey returns to the ancient pyramids to perform her final meditation session of the day. However, she usually withdraws her mind from her meditations early, as it brushes against an all too familiar presence. 

Kylo Ren, no, Ben Solo, no… Rey didn’t know what to call him anymore.   
T  
hey hadn’t formally connected since the battle on Crait and Rey would like to think she feels relieved at this. However, every time goosebumps trickle down her back she feels a thread of excitement and anticipation. That is, until she realizes her goosebumps were result of Yavin IV’s afternoon breeze. Then Rey feels disappointment flooding her mind.   
Conflict invades Rey’s senses every time she thinks about him. 

What started out as hatred and fascination for this man grew into curiosity. Curiosity bloomed into a fondness and understanding.  
After the battle Rey let her jumbled emotions get the best of her and shut Kylo out. As much as she regrets it now, she’s forcing herself to accept the decision she made in the moment. She had to put the Resistance first and get the surviving members to safety. “Keep the spark lit” as Leia would say. A guilt-ridden Rey did what was right for the time and circumstances of what had just transpired.

Over the course of the flight to Yavin IV Rey couldn’t take her focus off the split lightsaber and Kylo’s plea. That’s what it had been. Kylo’s plea, not Ben’s, but Kylo’s. The gloved hand reaching for Rey still haunts Rey in her dreams. Everything about the events that had occurred since Jakku haunted her, but those words most of all. 

“You’re nothing. But not to me.” 

He loved her, at least enough to offer the galaxy to her! 

The look in his eyes from Crait seems to be permanently seared in her brain, inescapable during her nightly meditations.

In the moment, her compassion had been overrun by hated, confusion, love, and fury. Not the Jedi way, feeling these emotions are. 

****

Kylo:

Crait left Kylo feeling dilapidated.

Adjusting to life as “Supreme Leader” shouldn’t feel so difficult. But it has been.

Kylo's barely left his quarters. Only leaving to train or sign off on one of Hux's military plans. His day's have been far too quiet. 

The only important thing that's occurred since Snoke's death was Kylo's crowning. Hux insisted on an official ceremony to "Crown the Supreme Leader" and "Remind everyone that the First Order is stronger than ever." It was this whole big event, people gave speeches congratulating the Supreme Leader. Everyone wanted to know the First Order's plans to rebuild their fleet, Hux insisted that they were still stronger than ever. That was a lie. Funding was low, and Kylo was unimpressed by Hux's military strategies. An uninspired Kylo Ren was now the official face of the first order, after the parade with his nights he went back to his routine of not doing much. The flashy parties aren't really Kylo's style. In fact he hates them. 

Sleep, eat, drink, train, avoid Hux at all costs, repeat. And that's how the new Supreme Leader liked it. Although Kylo's days have left him too much time to think.

He has everything he’d wanted since Luke’s ‘assassination attempt’. The galaxy under his rule. He imagined it would feel amazing, having for much power. But he’s never been more wrong. 

Alone. That’s what Kylo felt. Alone.

His father was gone at his own hand. His Uncle gone, haunting his memories. His mother, gone as well. If only he had reached out with the force and stopped his wing mate’s shot that destroyed the bridge. His mother would still be here. At least his wing mate got what he deserved, both did in fact. In the moments following the explosion on the bridge Kylo’s rage took over. His expert aim destroyed both TIE’s accompanying him on his mission to attack the Radus.   
None of that mattered now, at least it didn’t seem to. 

Kylo was a failure. And Rey left him. Gave up on him, forgot him. Left him behind like a cowardly dog on a salt planet. Alone with his turmoil unable to do anything right. He couldn’t even please his parents in the time they were alive.

He’d never lived up to either of his parent’s legacies. How could he? 

His father, a scoundrel and the best pilot in the galaxy. His mother, the smartest damn woman who had ever lived. His grandfather, Darth Vader… the supposed ‘chosen one’.   
Kylo couldn’t even try living up to Vader’s legacy. His grandfather’s legacy. He knew deep in his bones his heart had too much light. 

Kylo continued trying to drown himself in the dark, only he was stuck in a life vest that prevented him from full submersion. 

Rey’s presence still haunted Kylo’s mind. His dreams plagued by the memory of the throne room. By Snoke. By her. 

His emotions for the girl from Jakku were as scattered as Alederaan. 

Hate, love, anger, lust, disgust, regret, compassion, fear, conflict. 

Inescapable emotions. Inescapable feelings. An inescapable presence. The girl from Jakku, the girl from nowhere, a nobody somehow became Kylo’s entire world in a matter of days… hours even. He knew it too, this nobody was his whole world. His whole galaxy. 

It only took being Supreme Leader of literally the whole galaxy for a month to realize that. Controlling the whole galaxy didn’t leave Kylo happy, it left him cold and wanting. Not wanting more, just wanting her. 

Their fates had been inter-twined. Perhaps, Kylo thought, they still were. They shared a force bond for heavens sakes. 

 

****

 

A month after the battle of Crait. A month since their last connection. 

Kylo and Rey. 

Opposing sides of a war, opposite sides of the galaxy…connected once again. Goosebumps rip down their backs, the air sucked out of their rooms.   
They both look up in shock, as they’re connected through the force once again…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that! Feedback is appreciated, positive especially! :)


	2. Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They both look up in shock as they’re connected through the force once again…

They both look up in shock as they’re connected through the force once again…

Kylo Ren couldn’t help but stare at Rey in disbelief. Excitement clearly present in his force energy.

Kylo could feel Rey’s exhilaration through their bond and, though he would never admit it, the reassurance that she was relieved to see him was comforting.

Taking each other in during the first few moments after connecting was mandatory.

They hadn’t seen each other in a month but these first glances, lasting no longer than a few blinks of the eye, felt as necessary as breathing.

Kylo looked Rey over, taking all of her in from head to toe. Her hair was in a loose ponytail, beads of sweat had collected around her temple. He could feel the humid air that encompassed her. It was almost as though he was standing in her climate and not on the rebuilt _Supremacy_. The air he breathed felt thick and warm, the smell of rock and jungle dance along Kylo’s senses at the same time.

It had been what felt like ages since Kylo had breathed fresh air. The artificial air the Star Destroyers supplied grows old and boring. It doesn’t have diverse qualities, no variances.  

Kylo took notice to Rey’s new outfit as well. Similar to the one she wore when they first connected, only not.

 _Interesting, there’s something familiar about her new look but not like I’ve seen it before. This is going to bug me all night, what is it?!…_ Kylo thought.

He pondered where she could be while attempting to place the familiar element her new outfit possessed.

Rey’s walking boots were old and borrowed. Her arm bindings still looked worn and ragged. Her pants were made of a light material that allowed them to be breathable. The cream tunic she wore was too big for her; this made wearing a belt with the ensemble necessary. Her belt was made of leather and bore a large buckle along with an attached satchel. The belt was heavy and made Rey feel balanced and comforted. Aside from the belt’s practical uses, it aided in defining her waist and making her tunic appear less baggy. Kylo secretly appreciated that.

***

Rey’s hungry eyes devoured Kylo just as hungrily in the first moments after he appeared.

The man before her stood strong and stiff. He looked uncomfortable but the slightest hint of a smile teased the corners of his mouth. His eyes dashed across Rey quickly and with purpose.

Rey was surprised to realize Kylo was dressed casually. Something entirely foreign to her. Jakku didn’t provide much in the means of leisure time.

His shirt was a rich grey and the sleeves were rolled up to the middle of his forearm. His pants were baggy and looked soft, cutting off mid calf.

Most importantly however, the man presented before her was gloveless and vulnerable.

Rey yearned to reach out and feel the gentleness presented before her,  but she refrained herself.

***

Silence surrounding them both, neither Rey nor Kylo realized they had been holding their breath until they both loudly exhaled at the same time.

“Well this is awkward” Kylo disclosed.

“Are you kidding me?! We haven’t spoken in a month and the first thing you can muster up is ‘well this is awkward’. Supreme Leader Ren sure knows how to break the silence.” Rey responded with a mocking tone accompanied by finger quotations.

Kylo remained silent. Not sure what to say. He’s always been bad when it comes to speaking to people but this was an all-new low.

Feeling his cheeks flush Kylo was officially embarrassed.

Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order, before the girl who turned down the galaxy and left him behind like a hurt puppy was now standing still, beet red, and _completely_ vulnerable. Uncomfortably so to Kylo. It was times like these where he almost missed his mask, _almost._

Rey couldn’t stifle a laugh.

“Why so embarrassed now? You’re the one who made the situation awkward with your comment about the situation being awkward!”

“Kriff Rey! It’s not like you were going to talk first, you were too busy staring. Besides, it’s been a month! I thought I’d try to lighten the mood. We didn’t exactly leave off on a high note. I’m not sure if you remember but the last time we connected you had just denied my declaration of love and left me behind just like everyone else in my life!”

“I left you behind because you sent those TIE’s after me on Crait! I was angry with you, of course I was going to slam the door in your face!” Rey paused. “Maybe you’ve forgotten but I had just spared your life on the _Supremacy..._ then-- the second you get a chance to eliminate me you take it! Could you blame me for being mad?!”

“I didn’t know you were on the _Falcon_ when I sent those TIE’s after you! Why would I order your death when you’re the only one I give a damn about! You’re the only one who gives a damn about me! At least I thought you did, clearly I was wrong…” Kylo trailed off recollecting himself.

He started again, calmer this time.

“I’ve never wanted to hurt you Rey. Not intentionally at least.”

Rey stood atop the pyramid in silence taking in Kylo’s words. The darkness of night surrounding them.

Finally Rey got the courage to speak up. “Dammit Ben, I still care about you!” She announced in frustration and annoyance.

“But you need to remember that your mother is still out there and she cares for you too! She may walk around saying her ‘son is gone’ but that’s only because she’s too embarrassed by how much you’ve forgotten where you come from to admit it. Not in a million years would she have imagined you would grow up to become the Supreme Leader. A pilot maybe, a smuggler even, but the Supreme Leader?! Side note: I don’t think you realized but when we watched the holos of your “crowning” ceremony you looked absolutely ridi---”

“Wait.” Kylo interrupted. “My mother’s alive?”

Rey took a step back from Kylo. _Did he not know Leia survived?_

Rey confirmed Kylo’s question with a slow, reassuring nod of her head.

Kylo felt a sudden surge of emotions as tears began flowing free. The damn had broken as sadness, relief, anger, joy, resentment, comfort, and conflict released throughout him.

Rey could feel the change in Kylo’s emotions and realized he hadn’t in fact known his mother had survived the attack on the bridge. _He couldn’t sense her through the force? He’s been living for the last month thinking he was the last of his lineage alive._ This realization tore through Rey leaving her feeling empty, just as empty as Kylo must’ve felt over the last month. She left Ben behind on Crait, she left a man behind who had lost everything in forty-eight hour period. He must’ve felt as alone as in the galaxy as Rey. No amount of power or money can heal the loneliness and isolation left that remains after someone gets abandoned. Rey knew that all too well.

*****

Embarrassed at how soft he must look Kylo finally spoke again in an attempt to change the subject. “What were you saying about me looking ridiculous at the crowning ceremony?”

Now Rey was the one embarrassed.

“Uh, er. I mean, well… We had to watch the Supreme Leader get crowned so we could see who we were now up against… I watched it with your mother in the _Falcon_ and she couldn’t help but notice your shirt was wrinkled and how desperately you needed a haircut. Upon further inspection it was quite obvious. Your shirt needed an iron and you couldn’t keep your hair out of your eyes.”

As stupid as Kylo thought the crowning ceremony was, he liked the idea of Rey and his mother watching it together. Sitting in the  cockpit gossiping about him.

“Mother and her wrinkled shirts. Growing up she’d always complain when I’d leave the house in a wrinkled shirt. Dad never cared, he was a scoundrel (as I’m sure you remember) and only owned one shirt anyways. Plus he had the ‘it’s just going to get dirty in five minutes anyways’ mindset.”

Rey laughed, “Ya that sounds like Han.” She paused, choosing her next words carefully. “You know... you’re a lot like him.”

“I’ve heard.” Kylo said with disgust. “I’m not as mean as him though.”

“Not as mean as him?!” Rey shot back. “You blew up the Hosnian system! Killed Luke’s padawans! Tortured Poe! Killed your own father! By all accounts doesn’t that make you a lot meaner?”

Hurt reached Kylo’s eyes but his face remained emotionless.

Swallowing Kylo began a desperate attempt to defend his honor. _Inter_ esting _, Kylo thought again...I’ve never wanted to defend my honor before. Never had to even try._

“I’ll give you torturing Poe, even though it was technically interrogating, but I didn’t destroy the Hosnian System or kill all of Luke’s padawans.”

Rey scoffed at that.

“Hey!” Kylo Returned. “I don’t condone the destruction of _any_ systems ever. My mother lost her home planet and that never sat right with me. I would be the prince of Alderaan right now had the Death Star not blown it up! As for killing Luke’s padawans I’m not to blame. I just destroyed the temple, my nights were the ones who killed all his students. I couldn’t bring myself to hurt any of them. They were all innocent. Only a true villain can kill kids! I couldn’t even bring myself to hurt the ones who made fun of my ears.”

 _Wait, did I just say that._ Kylo panicked. _I admitted I didn’t kill Luke’s padawans. Great, now I really look like a softie._

Rey laughed at that, but spoke in an attempt to avoid Kylo’s thought. She wanted to spare his embarrassment as much as she’d want to spare her own.

“Your ears. They actually made fun of your ears? Why?”

All the color rushed from Kylo’s face making his light skin appear even whiter. White as snow.  

Kylo admitted that he  definitely should’ve omitted the part that mentioned his ears from his monologue.

Moving on from the ears comment Kylo continued.

“That’s not the point Rey. Did you not hear my whole speech about how I can’t bring myself to kill unless they really deserve it?”

“Yes, I heard that part.” Rey took a deep breath and continued. “You know, I’ve heard stories from R2 about your grandfather and all the things he did. You’re trying to live up to Vader’s legacy but deep down you know you can’t. Darth Vader killed younglings, he killed padewans, men, women, children, everyone. He killed the guilty and the innocent. Darth Vader was fully committed to the dark side of the force. You on the other hand… You’re like a night sky. There’s a lot of darkness, but there’s a billion beads of light. Flickering throughout.”

Searching Kylo’s eyes Rey saw acceptance. She saw someone who was carrying the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders. A burden that now haunts his sleep. She saw someone with secrets. The eyes of a person who’s experienced pain, suffering.

Rey brushed against Kylo’s mind with a soft and gentle touch. She cradled his fractured mind like a baby; unlike the last time she did this in the interrogation room, this time she was asking permission.

Kylo allowed her passage, opening up his heavy iron gates. Rey took a glance inside but didn’t continue further.

“Ben?” Rey asked quietly.

“Hmm?” Kylo grunted in response.

“Last time I entered your mind it felt as though it was clouded. Like everything was being observed… watched, controlled-”

Before Rey could continue Kylo cut her off.

“Rey, Snoke was inside my head. If I’m being honest I’ve never had a clear head… he’s always been in there whispering to me. Egging me on. Lurking in the shadows of my mind, like a predator stalking its prey.” Kylo paused, his face painted in fear as the unpleasant memories continued flooding his mind. “For as long as I can remember the shadows were there. You have no idea what that’s like Rey. If I so much as thought of something that would mean me straying from the path Snoke had chosen I’d be in for a shock. A literal shock. I constructed my cape out of static dampening material. At least when I wore my cape I wouldn’t need to go to the med bay to make sure my heart was still beating right but the cape couldn’t protect me from the grasp he had on my mind.” Kylo sighed after a long time.

Rey continued looking at Kylo, compassion lighting up her eyes.

“Rey, you helped me be free of the pain. You helped me break free from Snoke’s grasp… helped me have a clear head for the first time in my life. Now that my head is my own I can’t stop thinking about you…” Kylo trailed off not sure how Rey would take his statement.

Processing what Kylo had just said Rey tucked a piece of hair that had fallen loose from her pony tail behind her ear.

With a smile on her face Rey began.

“The more I talk to you the more you morph into your parents. You have Han’s heart and stubbornness. You have Leia’s courage and spirit. You have your mother’s eyes, your father’s chin, and Chewie’s heart.”

Rey read Kylo’s expression. Felt his emotions.

 _Kriff she’s right._ Rey heard him think. Shooting him a look he responded with another thought. _Omg I think she can hear you man. You better not say anything stupid._ Rey laughed at that in her mind and he shot a nervous glance.

“He talks about you you know.”

Kylo swallowed hard and stared directly into Rey’s eyes.

“Who?”

 _You know who, the walking carpet_ Rey thought. Kylo smiled and waited for her verbal response.

“The Wookie you goof.”

\------

Kylo tortured the Wookie growing up! He’d movie Chewie’s tools when he was working on the _Falcon_ , steal his bowcaster and try to blow things up.

One time Chewie and C3PO were watching Kylo while his parents attended a political dinner.

As a joke Kylo stole the Wookie’s hairbrush and ran around their apartment on Chandrila with it. The Wookie chased Kylo as best as he could but his long limbs were just getting in the way.

3PO yelled at young Ben to give the hair brush back. Ben ignored the gold nugget and continued bouncing off the walls with the hairbrush in his hand.

3PO spouted off that the odds of Ben getting in trouble when his parents got home would be one to one.

Eventually Ben got bored and gave the exasperated Wookie his brush back.

\-------

“What did Chewie say exactly?”

“He told me about how you dreamed of growing up and being just like Han. You’d sit in the pilot seat in the _Falcon_ and exclaim ‘I’m Ben Solo, Captain of the _Millennium Falcon_ and I made the Kessel Run in less than eleven parsecs.’ And Chewie said you’d bounce around the ship in one of your father’s old jackets.” Rey laughed at that.

“What?” Kylo said. He cringed at the fact that his response came out sounding just like Han used to.

“Imagining you as a kid, bouncing around the Falcon in a jacket far too big for you is just funny.” Rey responded still laughing.

“I guess Chewie was right. You’re exactly like your father.”

“Ya well I didn’t grow up to be like that. I’ve never even done the Kessel Run. That was just a pipe dream. You know, a stupid childhood dream.”

 _I still wish I had grown up to be like my dad. It’d be cool to be known for beating Han Solo’s Kessel Run record instead of being known as Supreme Douchebag_ Kylo thought.

“What did you want to be when you grew up as a kid?” Kylo asked, with genuine interest in him voice.

“I wanted to be rid of Jakku. I wanted to fly among the stars with my parents. See all the worlds I’d heard about, learn how to swim, eat something other than portions.” Rey responded matter-of-factly.

“Well you’re doing a pretty good job living your dream so far.  As a kid I never wanted to be Supreme Leader. I don’t even think I knew the definition of Supreme Leader.” _I don’t even think I know it’s definition now that I am Supreme Leader._ “I wanted to be a scoundrel, just like Chewie said. Hell, I still don’t want to be Supreme Leader. Certainly not one walking around with a wrinkled shirt whose mother says he needs a haircut.”

Rey and Kylo both laughed at that.

“It’s been nice talking to you Ben” Rey said. “I’ve missed our connections, it’s been too long and I finally feel some resolve between us.”

“A better mutual understand I think you mean. At least we were able to recover from my ‘well this is awkward’ comment.” Kylo said in a joking manner, a smile plastering his face.

“You should smile more Ben Solo. It suits you, makes you look like more like a scoundrel and less like Mr. Wrinkled Shirt Supreme Leader.”

“Scoundrel? I like the sound of that” Ben said with a smirk.

“Are you trying to lay the moves on m-“Rey began saying before the force connection rudely cut her off.

***

A mutual feeling of happiness passed across the bond even after their connection concluded itself.

Kylo stood in shock at how much of himself he had just revealed to this girl. The girl who consumed all his thoughts. The girl who knew more about him than anyone else in the galaxy.

The Supreme Leader inhaled sharply at the realization that he’s in love with the girl from Jakku.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a few days! I had a really long weekend. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I have to edit three and it'll be up asap. Some cute force bond stuff to come. :) Thank you for the support, hope my first fic isn't too cringy. Thank you to everyone who's reading. <3


	3. Interruptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo materialized in front of Rey with a smile across his face.  
> Rey couldn’t refrain a smile of her own. “There’s that smile I missed so much.”  
> Rey and Kylo were both standing feet apart, like they had the night before.  
> Kylo’s deep eyes took all of Rey in. He couldn’t help it. Kylo felt drunk at the sight of the beautiful scavenger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I hope it's worth it, this chapter took a long time to edit, please enjoy! :)

_Rey’s legs burn as she leaps over fallen trees and vines. Ben Solo accompanies her, dodging obstacles with equal determination. Strong and in love, the wind encircles them, pushing them closer together... Encouraging them to continue._

_The sky protests the wind’s support of the couple with a thunderous roar._

_Rain pelts the couple as they sprint through the lush forest._

_Grasping Ben’s hand as tightly as she can, Rey jerks her head up to look at the angry sky. A TIE fighter swoops above them, opening fire on the ground._

_The world seems warped as Rey’s ears ring from the explosions, throwing her off balance._

_An x-wing falls out of the sky, nearly taking out the young couple._

_Ben pushes Rey out of the way just in time, and they slip in the mud as the x-wing meets its final resting place among the thick shrubs of Yavin IV._

_They manage to regain their footing and continue their dash towards the battle._

_The sky erupts once again, firing as a third party in the battle. Lightning dances amidst the clouds, battering AT-ST’s with every strike._

_Mud splashes with each step Rey and Ben take._

_Splash. Splish. Splash._

_Crash. Boom. Whistle. sssssshhhhhhhBLAM._

_Rey and Ben must find somewhere to go. The battle is growing increasingly dangerous and the odds are in no one’s favor._

_“Rey! We need to get to the Tikal Pyramids! The Falcon is parked in the docking bay at the old base; I’m not going to be able to protect you if we stay on the ground.”_

_“I don’t need your protecting, Ben!” Rey exclaims as the Force sputters around them._

_Rey ignites her lightsaber. The blue blades spark to life with enthusiasm. Rey never stops appreciating the way her saber reminds her of Ben’s._

_...Double-bladed and fiery._

_Ben ignites his own saber, smiling at Rey._

_“I know you don’t need my protecting, but I can’t lose you and we need to get off this mud hole of a planet as fast as we can! We don’t have much time!!!”_

_Rey, conceding reluctantly, starts off towards the pyramids with Ben._

_The Force shifts while Rey’s grasp on Ben’s mind suddenly loosens. Rey turns abruptly, skidding and slipping on the mud, twirling her lightsaber as she goes._

_Ben lies motionless on the forest floor. Rey extinguishes both of their lightsabers as she bends down beside him. Her heart and body aching with every breath._  
  


_“No!” Rey screams, the Force surging alongside her voice._

_As the forest around her begins to  spin, a searing pain slashes across her mind._

 

***

 

Rey woke screaming as heavy tears spilled down her cheeks. Her sleep tunic clung to her sweaty bodice.

“It was all a dream.” Rey breathed. “It’s okay…. Phew breath, just breath.”

Rey sat up in her rumpled cot and looked around her makeshift room. Her bed was inside a smuggling compartment hidden below the _Falcon’s_ floors. Cool metal walls surrounded her as she combed through her tangled hair with her calloused fingers. Tying her hair up in a ponytail Rey was thankful for her little “room” on the _Falcon._ The little compartment stayed dark and Rey felt safe, hidden. It also muffled the side effects of her bad dreams.

Leia insisted Rey take up an actual room in Yavin IV’s base but Rey refused. She didn’t want to be an inconvenience to yet another Solo.

Rey climbed out of her rumpled bed keeping her head bowed so as to avoid bonking her head on the shallow ceiling. She pulled off her damp sleepshirt and pulled on her light pants, cream shirt, and worn belt.

Glancing at the old Jedi texts Rey felt disappointed that she hadn’t been able to decipher them. They were written in a language completely foreign to her and Rey had never been the best at reading in the first place.

Growing up on a literature-deprived planet didn’t allow for much in the way of schooling. Even though Rey was very well spoken, everything she learned, she learned from the outsiders visiting Nimaa Outpost. Although, there are some things Rey knows how to do that she can’t explain: understand Shyriiwook, know how to use the force, or fight with a lightsaber. Rey just assumed she could understand Shyriiwook because she’d come across a clan of Wookies at Nimaa, but her force bond with Kylo has her reconsidering a lot of things.

On her morning walk to her meditation pyramid Rey pondered the Force bond.

_How does it work? Do I know how to interpret Wookies because Ben can? Is that why I’m so good at flying the Falcon? All those sims were helpful but they’re nothing like the real thing. Is the reason I’m so strong with the force because Kylo’s strong with the force?_ Rey assumed so.

 

***

 

Meditation went well that morning. Nothing out of the ordinary.

After meditation Rey thought it was a good time to grab breakfast. Eating three meals a day has taken some getting used to, but Rey appreciates the extra boost of energy.

Walking through the rebel base was fascinating to Rey, she enjoyed watching the social changes between the surviving Resistance members.

Rey loved everything about the old Rebel base. She appreciated the way the stone temple kept the thick heat of the day out. The dining hall was located parallel to the hanger bay so Rey didn’t have to travel far for her meals.

By the time Rey managed to make it to the dining hall, most of the base was up and moving. Rey never realized how much she appreciated being alone until she lived on a very social Resistance base. Sure, she appreciated observing everyone, but interacting with them? She tried to avoid _that_ as much as possible.

Everyone wants to talk to “the last Jedi”. Rey appreciated the excitement but couldn’t help feeling awkward when she’s referred to as “the last Jedi” or referred to as a Jedi at all.

_I haven’t even had formal training; how can I be a Jedi. What if I’ve broken the Jedi code before officially becoming a Jedi? What if I’ve broken the code and not realized it? What if the code doesn’t go along with my own beliefs? Do I abandon my beliefs to conform to the code? If I waltz around saying I’m a Jedi am I considered a self-proclaimed Jedi?_

Rey’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a gentle hand on her shoulder.

 

***

 

“Good morning Rey” a calm Leia recited like she’d said the words a thousand times before.

“Hope you slept well in the Falcon. If it ever grows uncomfortable or if-when the smell starts to get to you, you know I can set you up with a room.”

“I know” Rey responded, looking distant, still distracted by the questions swarming her brain.

“Hey, are you okay? You look distracted.” Leia mentioned, her hand still resting on Rey’s stable shoulders.

“Hmm… ya. Just tired I guess.”

“You know Ben used to say the same thing when he was zoned out, in his own world, over analyzing everything. It’s funny, so much of you reminds me of him… and yet so much is different. For one you’re not Supreme Leader of the galaxy.”

Rey shrugged Leia off, further distancing herself. She just wished she had someone she could comfortably talk to. Someone who’s experienced similar conflict and pain. Someone like Kylo…no Ben. Rey wanted to talk to Ben.

“What was Ben like when he was growing up?” Rey asked. She was trying to diverge the attention off herself and onto him. It seemed to be working.

“Why don’t you join me for breakfast in my quarters and we can discuss him.”

“Sure.” Rey eagerly agreed. All her talks with Leia were fascinating, plus, if Rey ate in Leia’s quarters she could better avoid people. Not people like Finn and Poe, she enjoyed her time with them, but Finn always ate with Rose and Rey didn’t want to interrupt. As for Poe, Rey realized they didn’t have much in common to discuss. Poe’s had adventures and has always been with the Resistance. He was born to Rebel parents; his life has been full of meaning and Rey didn’t relate to him as much as other people. Like Ben. Why did she have to relate so much to the guy who’s supposed to be her enemy? Rey didn’t know, but she was still excited to hear about what he was like growing up.

 

***

 

Rey entered Leia’s quarters quietly with her breakfast in tow.

Rey had seen her room many times but it always amazed her how few personal belongings Leia had. You’d think a princess who’s been alive for so long would own more but the General had nearly as many things as Rey. In her later years, Leia learned how to pack light.

Leia’s room was square and simple. Her bed was made and the stone floor was tidy. A photo of Han and Ben rested on Leia’s bedside table.

That hadn’t been there last time Rey was in Leia’s room.

“Is that?” Rey asked.

Rey didn’t have to finish her question before Leia supplied an answer.

“Oh,” Leia laughed. “Yes, that’s Han and Ben… many years ago. Ben was about two at the time.”

“Wow” Rey mused. “Ben looks a lot like Han, but he has your eyes.” Rey trailed off devouring the photo along with her breakfast.

Rey busted up laughing, nearly choking on her dry biscuit.

“Look at his ears! Ahhh no wonder he didn’t want to show me them!”

Leia looked up in shock.

“What was that?”

“Kylo looks a lot like Han and you?” Rey said. She hoped Leia would think she’d just misheard Rey’s comment.  

“Kylo, wait you were calling him Ben a few seconds ago. Wait a minute…” Leia seemed to be connecting the dots in her mind but confusion still soaked through her force presence.

“Rey? How did you know Kylo Ren’s birth name is Ben?”

“Luke referred to Kylo as Ben on Ach-tu and, to be fair, you just referred to him as Ben.”

“Oh.” Leia responded, nodding her head slowly, accepting Rey’s response. At least she couldn’t tell Rey was lying; if she did she didn’t let it on.

“Wait, but that doesn’t explain you mentioning Ben not wanting to show you his ears. Rey, just how _did_ you get the coordinates to the _Supremacy_ on the day Snoke was killed?”

Leia was the smartest woman in the galaxy. At least that’s how Rey thought of her.

Rey felt heat boiling in her cheeks. _Think fast, kriff think faster, think faster!_

“Well Kylo and I sort of _had_ a Force bond.” Rey began, putting extra emphasis on ‘had’. If Leia thought Rey and Kylo weren’t still connected with their Force bond it’d just be better for everyone. Rey continued. “It was created by Snoke. He connected us as a way to further manipulate your son, and me.” Rey knew everything she recited was wrong but she was hoping Leia couldn’t sense it.

“So, he gave you the coordinates to Snoke’s ship over this ‘Force bond’ connection… Over the same Force connection he refused to show you his ears?”

“Yes General.” Rey answered too quickly.  She knew it was wrong to lie and lying to the General didn’t feel good but it had to be done.

_Kriff, what if lying is also against the Jedi code. I’m going to be the worst Jedi ever!_

“Thank you for your honesty Rey.” Leia responded.

Rey felt guiltier than when she stole a portion from the elderly woman at Nimaa. She just openly lied to Ben’s mother, a woman who’d always respected her. Trusted her.

“I’m glad we talked. Don’t want to seem like I’m bowing out early but I have a flight lesson with Poe that I’m surely running late to. See you later General.”

“Please, call me Leia.”

“Okay Leia.” Rey mustered a smile and hugged the general.

Leaving the room Rey could feel Leia’s own conflict. _Is every Solo always conflicted? Jeeze. Only… I did just lie to her about a lot of stuff. Kriff, she’s onto me._

Walking to find Poe, Rey felt awful. Her mind drifting to Ben yet again.

 

***

 

Rey finally found Poe with BB8 in the base’s hanger bay. Standing beside a bunch of crates the two looked to be in a good mood. Poe was dressed only in his old trousers. His chest was exposed and covered in grease. Rey could faintly hear some Resistance ladies fawning over him. Still, Rey couldn’t help to think about Ben’s own shirtless chest.

Recollecting herself, yet again, Rey mustered up enough energy to propose her flying lesson request.

“Hey Poe.” Rey tried to look unbothered by the conversation she had just shared with Leia and the thoughts of shirtless Ben that were still present in her mind.

BB8 beeped happily at Rey.

“Hey BB8, it’s not been ages since we’ve seen each other.  I talking to you yesterday! Yes, I was just talking with Leia.”

BB8 purred in recognition and rolled off.

“What’s up?” Poe questioned.

“Oh, nothing important…”

“Got it, so what’s actually up with the last Jedi?” Poe questioned again, hoping to get a satisfying response this time.

_I’m not a Jedi yet!_

“Oh, nothing much,” Rey dodged the question again, much to Poe’s annoyance. “I was wondering if we could have a flying lesson at some point today.”

“Sure, I’m kind of busy later but I have a few minutes right now if you’d like?”

“Sure!” Rey said excitedly. A flying lesson would be the perfect way to get her mind off things.

“Awesome let’s find a free x-wing… Oh there’s one. I’ll jump in the _Black One II._ You don’t need a flight suit today, it’s too muggy. The suit will be filled with sweat in minutes, so don’t sweat it.” Poe winked, heading off towards his x-wing.  

Rey trotted off towards the free x-wing Poe pointed out. It was old and had a faded orange stripe painted down the side.  

Climbing up the ladder Rey inspected the soundness of the ship. It seemed to be in working shape. An outdated T-65, _little old but it’ll do, seems to be fully functional._

Rey started doing her mental pre-flight checklist. Everything was A-Okay.

Rey put on the helmet that had been resting in the pilot seat. To do so she had to take down her pony tail, her greasy hair fell and rested on her shoulders as she placed the helmet on.

“Ready to go Poe?”

“Yep, let’s go!” Poe announced before quickly taking off.

Rey followed suit and began soaring through the air, free from the hanger bay.

 

***

 

Rey thought Yavin IV was beautiful from the air.

She could see Resistance members on the ground. Scurrying like ants, shuttling crates from temple to temple.

Golden birds swooped alongside Rey’s ship. ‘Whisper birds’ Poe had called them.

Rey stabilized the x-wing and started coasting as she flew over her meditation pyramid.

“Alright Rey, I know you’re an expert when it comes to the _Falcon_ but x-wings are a lot touchier. I want you to try doing a 360 turn.”

“Easy. This isn’t my first lesson Poe.” Rey responded.

She performed a 360 perfectly.

“Good. Don’t get cocky. I know you’re a natural at everything but don’t let the Force go to your head.”

“That’s not how the Force works.” Rey scoffed.

“Hey, what’s that over there?” Rey asked, inquiring about black and grey shrapnel sticking up from a nearby lake.

“Remaining parts of the Death star. After it’s destruction pieces rained down from the sky. Not many, just a few like that one there.”

“Wow that’s cool” Rey said. Flying over the scattered pieces of Death Star. She was flying over literal history.

Poe continued Rey’s lesson over the course of the next twenty minutes. Rey performed twists and turns, learned how to shoot while piloting, and stared in awe at the greenery covering the planet.

After they returned to the base Rey returned to Leia’s quarters.

 

***

 

“Hey Leia.” Rey knocked. She was still feeling guilty for lying earlier but finally decided that she wanted an official room.

“Hello again Rey.  I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon. I have a meeting at 9:00 but I can talk for a few if there’s something you want to talk about.” Leia implied.

“There’s nothing specific I wanted to talk about but---- I was wondering if I could take you up on your offer on getting an actual room.”

“So, the smell of the _Falcon_ finally got to you huh?”

“You guessed it. Wookie meets porgs… not the best mix.”

“Believe me, add in a smelly Han and a pubescent Ben…” Leia paused, a disgusted look on her face. “Well let’s just say it could be worse.” She finished, resolutely.

Rey laughed.

“I also wanted to be closer to the dining hall. And the refreshers!”

“I can tell you need a wash.” Leia said, looking Rey up and down.

“And some new clothes. You’ve been wearing the same outfit every day, plus Ben’s old belt isn’t the most fashionable look.”

“The belt is Ben’s?! I thought it was yours!”

“Heavens no.” Leia said laughing. “Ben used to wear that belt all the time, he was so skinny and tall that his shirts were always too baggy. They’d get in the way, hence the belt.”

“Wow, that’s exactly why I wear it.”

“Well it’s a belt, that’s it’s job. Anyways, your room is already arranged. It’ll be right across the hall from my own. It’s not much but I hope you appreciate it. I’ll have some fresh fabric sent over in the morning so you’ll be able to make some new clothes. We may not have much, but I understand the feeling of needing a new outfit.”

“Thank you so much Gen-Leia. I really appreciate it.”

Leia nodded, handing Rey a key.

“For the door, just across the way like I said. Room 327. I’ll swing by after my meetings are resolved later on to see how you’re settling in.”

“Sounds perfect, thank you again Leia. For everything.” Rey said.

Turning slowly Rey walked to her new room, closing the door to Leia’s on her way out.

Rey’s room was small like Leia promised.

Square and stone.

A small cot lay against the far wall. Beside it a chest for belongings, it doubled as a bedside table. An unwelcoming chair sat in the corner. The room wasn’t very homy but Rey knew it just needed her personal touch.  

Rey spent the next hour moving her few belongings from the Falcon to her new room. It should’ve only taken her ten minutes but being stopped by ‘admirers’ every five feet added up.

Once Rey’s room was made up with her things she looked it over. The stone floor was cracked, nothing wrong with that. The stone walls kept the room cool, which Rey appreciated. She had made the bed with the same jumbled blankets she slept with on the Falcon. They were old and ragged but Rey had grown accustomed to them and they were better than anything she had on Jakku.

Rey had tucked the Jedi away in the chest that stood beside her bed. Luke’s broken saber was also tucked within the chest. Her staff leaned against the wall beside her boxy metal chair.

___

 

Rey visited the ‘fresher for the first time in weeks. Dirt, grime, and sweat washed down the drain and Rey felt refreshed.

Walking back to her room no one stopped Rey, she assumed it was because she was only in a towel. No matter the reason, Rey was relieved as she stepped inside her new room, closing the door behind her.

____

 

Artificial daylight filled the room as Rey flicked on the lights..

Her wavy hair danced around her face as she folded her shower towel.

Rey quickly dressed and put Ben’s belt back on.

Exhaling slowly as she felt goosebumps creep down her back, Rey prepared herself for what was to come feeling relieved she dressed when she did.

 

***

 

Kylo materialized in front of Rey with a smile across his face.

Rey couldn’t refrain a smile of her own. “There’s that smile I missed so much.”

Rey and Kylo were both standing feet apart, like they had the night before.

Kylo’s deep eyes took all of Rey in. He couldn’t help it. Kylo felt drunk at the sight of the beautiful scavenger.

“I missed you too.” Kylo softly responded.

To Rey, Ben’s voice was captivating. Entrancing.

“Ben, I have a question to ask…” Rey paused. Hesitant to continue.

Kylo sensed the hesitance and shot her a thought, further testing the limits of their bond.

_Rey it’s okay, you can ask me anything._

Rey took a deep breath before finishing her questions.

“Can I give you a haircut?”

_That’s not what I was expecting..._ Kylo thought.

“Wh-why would I need one?” Kylo forced.

Rey stepped closer to Kylo, one more step and she’d be flat against him.

“It’s just, I noticed that your hair falls in your eyes… a lot. I find it unlikely you’d wear your hair in buns like I do so a haircut is the only reasonable option.”

Kylo considered this. He didn’t have to think long. Rey had a point, his hair did fall in his eyes a lot. Plus, her giving him a haircut would mean Rey would be closer than ever before, staring at him with her mysterious eyes. The thought pleased him.

“Do you have scissors?”

“Humph. No.”

“Alright, well I’ve got some. Hold on.”

Kylo walked across Rey’s room as Rey remained standing motionless, barefoot on her carpet.

Kylo reached down and opened a drawer. _Wait, I can see the drawer. Wait, I can see some of his surroundings!_

“What?” Kylo asked. “You can see some of my surroundings?”

“It’s vague, blurry almost, but yes. I think I can.”

“Interesting. You know I can see your bed and the chest right beside it.” Kylo said pointing to the chest. “It’s blurry like you said… I guess the bond’s getting stronger.”

Kylo walked back towards Rey, scissors in tow.

“You think we can pass things between each other?”

“I don’t know. Maybe? We can touch and see each other’s surroundings so I guess it’s possible. No better way to know than to try.”

“True. Let’s give it a shot.”

Kylo handed the scissors to Rey and she held them firmly in her hand.

“Guess that answers that.” Kylo said confidently. “Okay, now I haven’t had a haircut in a long time, please don’t take too much off.”

“Ben, haircuts are really no big deal. Just breath okay?” Rey said walking around Kylo, inspecting what she had to work with.

“You sound like Luke. ‘Breath just breath’.” Kylo rolled his eyes as he force pulled a chair over to him.

_Why does he have such uncomfortable furniture? That chair looks awful._ Rey thought as she watched Kylo dramatically plop himself down in the hair.

“Hey. Your bed doesn’t look too good either. It’s called aesthetic.”

“Well your aesthetic seems awful. Now sit.” Rey ordered.

“Whatever you say”.

“Kriff, you’re still too tall. Alright, floor it is.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. Now sit.”

Kylo moved himself to the floor, adjusting to sit comfortably in the crisscross position. Ray walked towards her bed.

“Alright, I’m going to take my blanket and drape it over you so that your hair doesn’t get all over you. Sorry if the blanket smells bad, I got it off the _Falcon_.”

“Ugh, doesn’t the resistance have washers?”

“Nope.” Rey pulled the blanket from her bed and draped it over Kylo.

Kylo inspected the blanket, Rey questioned his look.

“What?”

“Nothing, I’m just surprised my father didn’t throw away any of my stuff.”

“You mean this blanket was yours?”

“Yep. That belt was too.”

“Your mother mentioned that… I didn’t know.” Rey looked embarrassed.

“It’s okay.” Kylo reassured her, hoping to cut through the thick embarrassment that was smothering Rey.

“I don’t mind you coming in and taking everything that’s mine.” Kylo teased.

“Hey, that’s not fair.” Rey placed her hands on her hips as she planned the cut.

“Yes, it is. You took my belt. My blanket. The Falcon. The Skywalker Lightsaber. My old tunic, my-“Rey cut him off.

“Your old tunic? What tunic did I take of yours?”

“When you showed up on the Supremacy you were wearing one of my old tunics under all of your drapey stuff.”

“I didn’t realize.”

“Don’t worry about it, it was hot.”

Rey positioned the scissors in her hand with purpose. She’d finally decided on taking a little off the back and giving him more layers and bangs. She tried to ignore his comment but it still reached her mouth as she broke into a giddy smile.

“May I?” Rey asked, gesturing to his hair.

“May you touch my hair? You’re cutting it aren’t you? How do you plan on cutting my hair without touching it?”

Rey smiled. _Good point_ she thought.

“Alright, I’m just going to take a little off the back and shorten the front so it stays out of your eyes.”

“I know, I heard your thoughts when you were planning it out.”

“Alright.” Rey exhaled.

_Nervous?_

_No, I’ve just never cut someone else’s hair, only my own._

_Well it looks great, I especially like it down._

Rey tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. “Thanks” she smiled.

Rey reached to grab a piece of Kylo’s hair and she began trimming.

Pieces of ebony hair fluttered to the ground as Rey continued cutting his hair. A little here a little there.

Rey was bent over in front of Kylo in order to check if the layers were even. She couldn’t help her glances to his lips in the process.

_Love the view_ Kylo thought. Rey stood up abruptly, adjusting her tunic with her. Kylo could feel her embarrassment once again.

“Rey I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t look… much.”

“It’s fine, at least I’m wearing my breast band so it’s not like I was on full display.”

_Actually..._ Kylo started to think but he quickly shut the thought down to prevent further embarrassment on Rey’s side. He seemed to always make her feel embarrassed, the thought made him embarrassed. A never ending circle of embarrassment.  

“Alright, I think that’s good.” Rey said, sweeping Ben’s old blanket off his shoulders.

“Tell me what you think.”

Kylo stood and walked to the mirror in his apartment. His hair looked great, all of his apprehension faded as soon as he saw Rey left it long enough to cover his ears.

“You-“

Rey nodded walking over to him.

“I know you don’t like them so I kept them hidden. I think they suit you. Make you look less brooding more cute but that’s just my opinion. I wanted to give you a haircut that’d leave you feeling comfortable still.”

Kylo smiled at that as he turned to face Rey.

Rey was standing a couple of steps away from him, admiring his large frame. Kylo took a step towards Rey, then another one, and another until they were a breath away from each other.

Rey reached up and tucked Kylo’s freshly cut hair behind his ears.

_You know I don’t like that._

Rey stifled a laugh. “I know, but I like it. I can’t imagine why Luke’s students would make fun of them.”

“Are you kidding me, look at me.” Kylo stepped back and twirled his lengthy body in a circle around Rey.

“These funny ears were big enough to be wings. My uneven face and long arms didn’t help the matter.”

“Well those padawans were just mean.” Rey reached up and caressed one of Kylo’s ears. Her fingertips moved to the scar she had given him. Tracing the scar, Rey felt sorry for putting Kylo through so much pain. For leaving him behind like her parents had left her. She hadn’t just left him behind once though, she’d left him three times. Once on Starkiller, again on the Supremacy, again on Crait. Rey promised herself that she’d never leave him behind again. A promise she’d keep till death do they part.

Rey’s fingers paused just beside Kylo’s lips.

Kylo shot her a smile.

“Don’t feel sorry for me, okay?”

Rey nodded. “Okay.”

Kylo reached up and held Rey’s hand in his own. The warmth of her touch comforted him.

Rey moved the hand still resting beside Kylo’s lips up into his hair. Combing it through with her fingers. The softness of it tickled her through the bond.

Mutually moving to close the gap between them, Rey and Kylo felt more connected than ever. The Force hummed, their skin rung, their bodies sang. A perfect symphony between them. Just before their lips touched a loud sound startled them both.

Leia Organa had come to see how Rey was settling in in her new room but instead found her son about to kiss Rey.

The connection cut off leaving Rey, alone in her room, with an enraged Leia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to my new Beta Mrs. Violet! Make sure to check out some of her work as well, she's really talented! Chapter 4 will be coming asap! I think I'm going to try to update twice a week. Hope you're all enjoying where this is going because I know I'm really excited. :)


	4. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo stood enraged in his quarters.

Kylo stood enraged in his quarters.

 _How dare my mother interrupt my time with Rey!!!!!_ Kylo fumed. His lip snarled as he growled like a wild animal

He ignited his saber as he stomped his leg preparing for destruction. The dark flowed through him. Screaming as sparks danced off his saber, Kylo began trashing his quarters. Debris flew as his now shorter hair swayed with him.

His hair…the haircut. Kylo was reminded of the happiness he had just experienced. The calmness he felt with Rey.

Kylo glanced around his demolished room as he extinguished his lightsaber.

So much destruction all because of his anger management issues.

Kylo suddenly felt sheepish.

All his things were trashed just because he didn’t get to share his first kiss with a scavenger from Jakku. No, all his things were trashed because he didn’t get to share his first kiss with the woman he loved. His equal in the force, his bonded other.

On the bright side Kylo could put out for new furnishings, things that brought comfort while maintaining his modern aesthetic.

Rey had a point about the uncomfortable chairs in his quarters, only she hadn’t seen the rest of his ‘apartment’. The whole thing was filled with cold, unyielding furniture.

Kylo always thought it best to not indulge in things such as comfort. He slept in a hard bed that was too small for his frame, sat on hard chairs, ingested plain food. Since Rey had come into his life Kylo had reconsidered a lot, but he never expected to be reconsidering things such as his furnishings or diet.

Kylo walked over to his bed and picked up a com to ring his personal assistant droid: PAD.

PAD was a nonbinary droid who carried out the tasks Kylo requested of it. Though nonbinary, Kylo still considered PAD to be male and programmed him with a rude sense of humor. PAD was also programmed to be prohibited from interaction with Hux, another special modification put into place by Kylo.

“PAD, send out for a personal decorator. My room is currently in a state of disrepair so I’ll be needing our electrical crew in here as well. Thank you.”

“One moment sir. “PAD responded in a goofy voice, reminiscent of a pubescent male’s voice. Kylo even programmed PAD with special squeaky voice cracks. He had a poor sense of humor.

Kylo groaned when he heard a knock on his door. The metal on metal sound sung through his apartment. Kylo switched off his com and tossed it on the miniscule bed. Kylo moved with annoyance towards his door. Clicking the switch with a heavy thumb, the door opened to find no one other than PAD outside it.

“PAD, why are you here. Was talking on the com not satisfying enough for you.”

“No sir, I found the storage closet boring and uneventful. Your trashed room sounded like a far more interesting place to converse.”

PAD stepped inside, his green metal body moved clunkily. Similar to how C3PO walked only PAD had a sleeker look. A green body with special bolts and screws that could glow in the dark. They served no purpose other than letting Kylo know where his droid had wandered off to. The darn thing had a mind of its own.

“I sent for the decorator,” PAD restarted the conversation from where it has left off. He stepped inside the apartment in a clumsy manner, nearly tripping over a piece of smoking shrapnel. Kylo closed the door behind him.  

“Your lunch will be delivered as scheduled at noon. Do you still request to ingest more of the vomit worthy portions?”

“Yes.” Kylo rolled his eyes at his rude droid, blaming only himself for the programming. “However, can we get peanut butter and chocolate on board? Milk and dark preferably.”

“Yes sir. We can send a squadron down to Celanon. We’re scheduled to pass by tomorrow morning. Would you like me to arrange that?”

“No, prepare a transport ship for me. I’ll go myself.”

“But sir, you’ll get killed. Celanon is a smugglers society. During the Clone Wars it was a popular trading post for the Separatists but has since then fallen under the grasp of invaders and bounty hunters. Not the kind of place the Supreme Leader should be seen visiting alone.”

“I’m well aware how dicey it is on Celanon. I’m up for some excitement. Get me an inconspicuous ship and get me a bounty hunters costume. Gun, mask, boots, ect.”

“Are you suggesting that I knowingly let the Supreme Leader masquerade himself around the Celanon shambles, playing dress up in search for peanut butter and chocolate?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m suggesting. PAD, remember, you are not permitted to speak of this to anyone.”

PAD noted the importance of his orders.

“Of course, sir… tomorrow morning everything will be ready. I’ll set aside some credits for you. Let’s arrange the rendezvous point to be Yavin 8. Hux sent out a request for cactus water the other day and Yavin 8 is in mass supply of it.” _Wow, Hux and his stupid healthy cactus mucus. Why am I not surprised-_ Kylo thought. PAD continued vocalizing his plan. “You’ll be able to use Hydian Way to reach us quickly. Hux doesn’t even need to find out, he’ll be too distracted overseeing the arrangements of his cactus water to notice you’re gone.”

“Good.” _He can’t know I’m leaving on a possibly dangerous mission just to pick up some of my favorite indulgences. I wonder if Rey’s ever tasted peanut butter or chocolate_. Kylo decided she probably hadn’t and that he’d be the first to expose her to them.

“Understood sir. In other words, the decorator will be at your quarters in two hours. The electricians and cleanup crew will be here in five minutes. They’ve politely requested that you not be present in the apartment while they work.”

Kylo knew they’d request this. Ordinarily he would purposefully stay behind, just to annoy them, but he decided to make use of his time and train while they worked instead.

“Alright. Thank you, PAD. You may return to your storage closet and shut off.”

Pad turned his metal body and dramatically walked back to his closet. Kylo swore he could see the metal droid’s eyes roll, even if that wasn’t possible.

Kylo turned off the com he was speaking to the droid through. He took off his lounge clothes and changed into his training attire. A pair of high waisted pants and no shirt. Kylo slipped on a cloak to provide some sense of decency. He headed off towards his training room, excited to get his heart rate up and let off some steam the right way.

 

***

 

The bond cut off leaving Rey alone in her room with an enraged Leia.

Leia furiously stepped towards Rey, her feet heavy and loud. Her eyes squinted and glared while her lips were pressed into a firm line. Her nostrils flared as she took deep breaths trying to contain her emotions.

“I’m not usually one to get mad but what the FUCK is happening here Rey?!”

 _Woah, Leia knows how to swear?_ Rey stared through Leia with silent shock and fear ridden eyes.

“REY! Answer me! You lied to me, all I asked of you was to be honest and you couldn’t! I put you up in a room and didn’t press you with questions about what _exactly_ happened but you need to start talking. I’m giving you to the count of three to open your mouth and speak up or you’re out.” Leia motioned with her arms pointing towards the door. Anger still flowed through her as she realized she was yelling at Rey the same way she yelled at Ben before she sent him off to Luke.

“Rey please.” Leia continued, trying to sound unperturbed. She knew her efforts were failing but she had to at least try.

Rey’s eyes were still wide. She was dumbfounded from everything that had just happened.

Rey stepped around the pile of Ben’s dark hair and walked towards Leia with and outstretched hand.

“May I?” Rey asked, her hand reaching toward Leia’s temple. “I think it’ll be easier for me to show you everything as opposed to tell you.”

Leia nodded and awaited the movie that was sure to play through her mind.

Rey’s shaky hand made contact with Leia’s temple and she began shuffling through her memories. _Where to start._

“Start at the very beginning. The first time you saw _him.”_ Leia instructed.

Rey thought back to her childhood, her dreams.

She pushed foggy visions she had of Ben as a child into Leia’s mind. He had appeared in her dreams a few times, but he was never presented to Rey as a clear image… always blurry and clouded. It reminded Rey of what she saw in the cave mirror. A silhouette of an adolescent male, scared and alone. Beautiful and conflicted.

Leia nodded, ready for the next memory.

Rey showed Leia the events of Takodana. She decided to skip over the visions she had when she touched the Skywalker saber because she still wasn’t sure what to make of them herself.

“You shot first” Leia mused. Her eyes still closed, taking in the rest of the vision.

“Ben wasn’t very subtle checking you out, Han was much smoother. Guess being good with girls isn’t genetic.”

Rey smiled at that, she had been too frightened of the masked man to notice his obvious head to toe gaze. Looking back, she realized that even then, he was interested.

Rey continued her memories, moving to the interrogation room. Leia’s mind flooded with the image of her son kneeling before a bound Rey. _He seems so gentle despite the mask._ Leia thought for a moment.

Rey’s memory continued, showing Kylo removing his mask. Leia laughed under her breath as she took notice to Kylo’s freshly brushed hair.

The next memory flooded her mind, Kylo was standing on the bridge of Starkiller. Han just before him. Kylo’s saber ignited and impaled her love. Tears began flowing from Leia’s eyes. She could see the conflict, regret, and loneliness present in Kylo’s appearance moments before he was shot by Chewie. Leia looked at Rey’s memory in her mind’s eye with shock at the fact that Kylo wasn’t blown off the bridge from the energy of the blast. Her baby was so strong. That was both a blessing and curse.

The next thing Rey showed Leia was her fight in the snow with Kylo. ‘You need a teacher. I can show you the ways of the force’ rung through Rey and Leia’s mind.

“He wanted to teach you, but not harm? He actually seems focused on _not_ hurting you.” Leia recognized.

The memory continued, Leia continued to watch in shock as Rey maimed Kylo and left him bleeding the snow.

“You couldn’t finish him off...”

“I didn’t want to. I knew there was a reason why he was there, why I was there, and why he felt familiar. Even while we were fighting, it felt comfortable.”

Rey continued projecting the memory, the crust of Starkiller separating the adrenalin poisoned couple. The gap widened further as Kylo lay in shock.

The next memory began. Having just woken up, Rey sat up in her hut on Ach-tu. Kylo Ren sat before her. His face scarred with her mark. Rey desperately grabbed her blaster and fired a shot. Kylo flinched. Suddenly he was gone, Rey ran outside of her hut. Then there he was, sliding after her.

Leia laughed again. “He’s sliding around like a little kid…”

The memory continued, finishing the first force bond and moving onto the next.

Rey stood outside the Falcon admiring the rain. Suddenly Kylo’s apparition appeared before her. He proposed his question “Why is the force connecting us? You and I.” Rey felt embarrassed showing Leia the rest of the memory. She didn’t want Leia to hear her call the son she just walked in on a ‘ _murderous snake’._ Oh well, it happened. Not Rey’s proudest moment when she considers how she currently feels towards Ben.

Leia said nothing, taking in the memory.

“…You are a monster.”

“Yes I am.”

Leia began silently crying for the second time since watching Rey’s memories of her son, she didn’t think it would be this difficult. Seeing these bonds, he was so honest in them. He was Ben again, he was his true self.

Rey asked, “Do you want to see the rest? Of my memories of him?”

Leia nodded, her eyes still closed. She pressed Rey on.

“Brace yourself for the next one.” Rey warned. Confusion littered Leia’s face.

Rey started her memory of their third Force bond.

The image of a shirtless and sweaty Kylo Ren flooded Leia’s mind.

“Oh my, he’s certainly not 145 pounds anymore. He’s broader than Han used to be! Ugh, so white too. He needs to get out in the sun more.”

Rey giggled but continued showing the memory. Leia sat in shock. Her son actually told Rey that Rey’s parents threw her away like garbage? What came next shocked Leia more.

“He sensed my powers, as he senses yours, and he feared it.” The image of a crazed Luke, with an ignited lightsaber, looming above a scared Ben entered Leia’s mind.

“That memory isn’t my own. It was Ben’s. It’s what he showed me of the night he destroyed Luke’s temple. Luke had gone to kill him, he was scared of Ben. Scared of what he could become, scared of the possible future that could await Ben. For a weak minute he made the decision to end something before it started, but quickly regretted it. That’s when Ben started calling himself Kylo Ren. That was what pushed him further towards Snoke. He felt abandoned and betrayed by all the people who were supposed to love him. You and Han sent him away, you sent him to Luke who sent him to Snoke.”

Leia opened were wet eyes for the first time since she started watching Rey’s memories. Her face was pained by the truth Rey was bestowing her. She glanced at Rey’s honest face.

“Can you show me the rest?” Leia’s voice was shaking despite her efforts to remain strong.

Rey reached her hand back out, re-pressing her palm against Leia’s temple. Leia gently closed her eyes, prepared to dive back into the deep pool of Rey’s memories.

The memory she was showing Leia now was of the cave. The first time Rey realized she was truly alone in this galaxy. Confusion creeped its way across Leia’s face. The edges of her lips frowned as she watched the blurry figures walk towards where Rey was standing during the memory. The image on the cave wall morphed into a single silhouette. Leia recognized the familiar form all too easily.

“You saw Ben in the wall.”

“I don’t know. I think so.”

Leia nodded. “It was him.”

Her son and the girl with the buns were more connected than Leia had thought. So much of Ben rippled out from Rey.

The memory cut back to Rey’s hut. She was wet and cold after the swim out of the cave and needed to get warm. Making a fire was difficult with numb fingers but Rey managed. She was about to change out of her wet clothes when she reconnected with Ben. She sat on a stump with a rough blanket draped around her as she began telling Ben her story of the cave. His eyes danced around Rey as she recollected the events that had transpired. The memory jumped forward.

“I’ve never felt more alone.”

“You’re not alone.”

“Neither are you.”

Leia watched the memory with a sense of discomfort growing throughout her. This moment was so intimate between them that she felt wrong watching it firsthand the way Rey experienced it. She felt like the nosy mom. As soon as her son removed his glove Leia finally spoke up.

“You can skip to the next memory.”

Rey nodded, relieved to keep that moment private.

The hut was destroyed and Rey was standing alone in the rain facing Luke. She fought with her staff then ignited her saber as Luke fell to the ground. Defeated and afraid.

“You fought to defend his honor? You fought Luke because of what he did, you fought to protect Kylo Ren.” Leia knew she wasn’t doing anything other than stating the obvious but she still felt the need to say what she said.

Leia watched as Rey stormed off Ach-tu. There was nothing left for her there and Leia now understood that. The memory showed Rey explaining to Chewie where they were going.

“We’re headed to the Supremacy.” Chewie groaned in confusion.

“I can’t tell you how I know the coordinates, I just do. Now come on, lets go.”

Chewie growled again.

“Yes, the Force told me… I know that’s not how the force usually works but in this rare case it is.”  With that the memory ended.

The next memory began with Rey landing on the Supremacy. It continued with Kylo walking her to the elevator. The sexual tension rising in the capsule just as much as the elevator itself.

“You can skip ahead. You can cut the sexual tension in this memory with a knife.” Rey felt embarrassed, she hadn’t realized just how intimate some of her moments with Ben had been.

She proceeded to skip ahead to the throne room scene with Snoke and Kylo Ren.

“You can skip this part too. I know what happens, just skip to after everyone’s dead.”

Rey nodded, she never realized how bossy Leia could be at times. Leia’s a woman who knows what she wants. Rey admired that.

The memories flashed forward per Leia’s request. Rey stood staring at Ben from across the burning room. Her attention shifted to saving the fleet. His shifted to Snoke’s halved body.

“It’s time to let old things die. Rey, I want you to join me. Snoke, Skywalker, the Sith, the Jedi, the rebels? Let it all die. We can rule together and bring a new order to the galaxy.”

The memory continued, ignoring Leia’s shock.

“Don’t do this Ben, please don’t go this way.”

Reviewing this memory pained Rey, it had ever since it happened.

“You’re holding on, let go!... Do you want to know the truth about your parents? Or have you always known and have you just hidden it away—hidden it from yourself. Let it go. You know the truth. Say it!”

Leia braced herself for what was to come.

She could feel the pain Rey felt through the memory. Leia could feel the emotion Rey felt in that moment. Pain, sadness, conflict, loneliness, loss, love…love.

“They were nobody- “

“They were filthy junk traders who sold you off for drinking money. They’re dead in a pauper’s grave in the Jakku desert… You have no place in this story. You come from nothing. You _are_ nothing. But not to me. Join me, _please._ ”

Leia was shocked at the softness of her son. His pleading eyes and outstretched hand wanted to welcome Rey so badly. The destruction surrounding them had no effect on him, all of his attention was on the girl before him. Leia couldn’t hold back her own question. “What happened?”

“Just wait…”

Rey continued the memory. Leia saw Rey’s hand reaching toward Kylo’s own, but to Leia’s surprised it went for the Skywalker saber. Leia saw the saber hover equally between the couple. Both force energies were balancing each other out. Suddenly Leia saw the saber split as a bright blast of light was emitted.

The memory faded to darkness before starting up again. Rey was running towards an unconscious Ben. Leia noted through the memory that Rey was crying and could hear her words of compassion as she saw Rey’s hands checking Ben’s pulse.

“I’m sorry Ben. I have to go. I can’t stay and you can’t go. It’s not the right time or situation. I have to go, I’m sorry.” Rey repeated, sounding like a broken record. Her voice hiccuping as she choked back the tears. The memory ended with a last look at Ben’s unconscious body as Rey collected the pieces of the saber.

“Wow, thank you for showing me all of that Rey.”

“There’s more…”

“Oh,” Leia tried to recollect herself. The emotional rollercoaster she’d experienced was a lot and not at all what she was expecting when she stopped by to check on Rey. “Okay.” Leia breathed deep and steady. She wiped her palms on the side of her pants. After adjusting her jacked Leia felt like she’d pulled herself together enough to accept the rest. “I’m ready… finish it up.”

Rey shot Leia the memory of her force connection on Crait. Supreme Leader Ren was kneeling before her, crying and in need of a comforting word. Or hug, he was in need of anything that could remind him he was still alive. A pinch even.

“The next memory happened last night. It was our first connection since Crait…” Rey trailed off.

She showed Leia the memory of her first talk with Ben. They laughed and joked, felt anger and excitement, hunger and relief, conflict and resolve.

“Alright” Leia breathed. “The start of that was very awkward. My son’s poor social skills didn’t help the matter. Trust me, he took Mr. Manors courses, they only made his talking abilities worse. Take me to today. Fill me in, why is his hair on the ground and why did I walk in on you guys almost kissing?”

“Well, nothing that evolved was interesting enough for me to show you from today’s connection but basically, I asked if I could cut his hair because it’s just been constantly in his eyes. He accepted, hence the haircut. Don’t worry, it looks really good too. As for what you almost walked in on, I’m still processing it myself…”

Leia nodded in understanding.

“Those Solos are tricky… you just watch yourself, okay? Oh, and Rey, do check into the medical facility. You need a checkup to make sure you’re healthy after nineteen years on Jakku. Also, I recommend you go on some form of birth control, especially if you’re falling for a Solo.” Rey blushed but she knew Leia had a point. The conditions on Jakku were nowhere near healthy and a checkup would be smart.

“I’ll admit, Ben is nowhere near as smooth as his father but the Solos are good regardless. Don’t feel embarrassed asking for the birth control injection, it’s just a tiny bead they place inside of your uterus. Completely painless, very effective. I can’t believe you fell for a pair of pretty dark eyes just like me. Ugh, I should’ve warned you to steer clear of that complicated trap.”

Rey felt unimaginably uncomfortable having this talk with Leia but she still considered the advice.

“Thank you, Leia, I’ll consider it. And-- just to clarify I didn’t intentionally fall for him. Remember Takodana? He knocked me out-”

Leia patted Rey’s shoulder. She felt like a domesticated animal. “You keep saying that. Sweetie, you’ve been having dreams of Ben since you were a girl. It’s inevitable. Fate. The Force even supports it!”

Rey didn’t know what to say. The fact that she could admit that she was falling for him at all amazed her.

Leia gave Rey a comforting look. Understanding and motherly.

“I’ll talk to you later Rey. I’m glad you’re settling into your new room. Also, thank you for your honesty. I’m sorry I blew up like the Death Star when I first came in, I was just… in shock.”

“Understandably so… thank you so much for your support and generosity Leia.”

Leia gave Rey a firm, motherly hug before heading back to her own quarters.

Rey glanced at the chest, undercover as her bedside table, and thought about Luke’s saber. Determined to rebuild it Rey started thinking up a design.

Rey’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted when Leia came bursting in.

“Sorry to bother you again but I need you to run an errand for me.”

“Sure anything Leia.”

“I know I promised you material for some new clothing earlier but I’ve just had the realization that we’re out of linen! The last of it was used up yesterday on patches. I would be eternally grateful if you could accompany Poe to Celanon in the morning. You’ll be supplied with some inconspicuous ships and I have an old bounty hunters costume you can use. I left it here thirty or so years ago but it should work. I know you’re a bit taller than me but pop on some boots and a jacket and you’ll be good to go. The bounty helmet has a voice modifier so no one will suspect you a woman… or a Jedi.”

Rey didn’t have to think twice.

“That sounds fun. I’m always up for an adventure.” _Well I have been since I’ve learned what an adventure is._

“Perfect. I’ll let Poe know, you’ll depart from here at 10:00. Poe has some Resistance business to attend to so I’m afraid you’ll be on your own out there but I trust you to be able to handle yourself. Take your staff and blaster, you’ll be just fine.”

“Can’t wait.”

Rey closed the door behind Leia and decided to start her evening routine early.

While on her nightly meditation run Rey considered her relationship with Ben. They’d had a _lot_ of ups and downs but she felt confident in her feeling for him. For the first time ever, she felt sure. During her meditations Rey let her mind drift to him. The last 24 hours had changed everything and Rey was thankful for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I think the memory sharing between Rey and Leia was necessary!   
> I can't wait for Celanon, they're both going to be on the same planet at the same time running errands. Ugh it'll be great.   
> Next update will come soon (i hope.) (definately will be posted in under a week.)


	5. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo finishes his preparations for his trip to Celanon. He has a run in with Hux and things get interesting.

Kylo abruptly shot up in his bed. After experiencing another bad night of sleep Kylo felt exhausted. Though, that was normal for him. Getting a good night of sleep was unusual and usually a sign something was off.

He almost always dreamed, though, the dreams were rarely pleasant.

When he was younger he’d dream of a tall shadow looming over his mind. Always hidden as it would sneak through his mind.

In recent times, Kylo’s nightmares had been clearer. More vivid and realistic; instead of a bunch of shadows dancing in the dark, a new figure haunted his mind. One that extinguished the shadows with their powerful beams of light. An untouchable goddess, strong and beautiful.  

Rey.

The only pleasant dreams Kylo had ever experienced involved Rey. For as long as he could remember. Even as a child, the faint, blurry figure of Rey had been present. She was always strong but when he first saw her, she was just a young girl with three little buns with an indistinguishable face. Now that he’s older, the image of the girl is clearer and defined as the strong woman Rey encompasses. She calms his mind, even in his subconscious sleep. Though most of Kylo’s dreams of Rey start off as pleasant, they always end with her leaving him.

Like she did on Starkiller. Like she did on the _Supremacy._ Like she did on Crait.

The most recent nightmare that had been looming in his mind was of Rey and him. The two of them were running through a muddy forest; gunfire and death surrounding them. In the dream, Kylo feels his love for Rey. Their bond infinitely binds them, until it doesn’t. The dream always ends with Rey’s voice screaming “Nooo” in Kylo’s mind. It echoes through his mind even after he wakes.

Kylo wipes drool from his mouth with his strong hand as he sits up in his new bed.

He looks around his apartment, Rey’s voice still ringing through his ears as though it was on a continuous loop.

Kylo’s apartment was good as new after just a few hours of work by the multiple teams on the _Supremacy_ and he was rather pleased with it. His bed was far larger, big enough to fit his broad frame. The sheets were soft and welcoming. His pillows fluffy and comfortable. Kylo felt weird indulging in such contentment.

Unfortunately, the new bed didn’t bring new dreams. The same nightmares seemed to plague Kylo’s memory.

The rest of his apartment looked about the same. However, his living room now hosted a comfortable sofa and a holo table. He could watch whatever he wanted while relaxing on a comfortable couch. Kylo doubted he’d ever use it but it looked welcoming and that’s what matters. The kitchen hosted a small kitchen table and two chairs to go with it. Kylo never cooked, though he knew how to. He never had the time to enjoy it.

***

Kylo stood up from his bed and pulled on his “Kylo costume.” That’s how he thought of his normal attire.

A costume.

Kylo was never able to be himself. He always _had_ to be ‘the man in the mask’, even when the mask no longer existed.

Now he’s more than the man in the mask, he’s the Supreme Leader.

The title forces Kylo to be even more unlike his true self. The self he only is when he’s around Rey.

After getting dressed, Kylo moved around his apartment switching on the lights.

He went to the bathroom to shave. The other downside to not wearing a mask anymore. Kylo now always had to be clean shaven.

He washed his face, brushed his teeth, and walked to fetch PAD. Kylo could call him on the com but finding him would be more interesting even if all it entailed was a walk across the hall.

***

Kylo walked across the hall to PAD’s storage room. He opened it using his special code: 739.

To his surprise the storage room was empty.

“Uggghhhh” Kylo rolled his eyes. _Great, now I’m actually going to have to look for him. Kriff I don’t want to run into anyone I’ll have to talk to._ Kylo fumed as he walked out of the storage room.

Kylo headed towards the hanger bay. He figured PAD was making some last-minute ship arrangements for his jaunt to Celanon.

Kylo the long route to the hanger bay as extra precaution in avoiding anyone he’d have to talk to. This meant he’d have to go past the storm trooper quarters, past the library, down an elevator, through the interrogation chambers, and by the launderers.

Kylo sped around the ship, navigating the halls like he built it himself.

 _Why do the storm trooper quarters always have to smell so bad?_ Kylo choked.

Troopers dodged him as he walked by, but respectfully bowed as he was still their Supreme Leader.

Kylo laughed to himself at the sight of troopers running away from him while still attempting to bow. _Ridiculous, I’m not Snoke. I don’t require absurd bowing._  

Kylo made the last few turns before arriving at the docking bay. To his relief, PAD was right where Kylo expected him to be.

A ship was prepared and waiting.

The ship PAD had prepared for Kylo was a YV-series light freighter. Enough room for a pilot and a gunner but Kylo was going solo which he was eternally grateful (and excited) for.

The ship had been acquired by the First Order when they ran into a bounty hunter.

Long story short, the bounty hunter was dumped on Csilla with no clothes. He is assumed to have died from exposure in minutes. No one ever checked back to be sure, but the First Order assumed his death was inevitable and if he survived he’d continue living just like he had previously. If such an event occurred, the First Order would eventually find him again and put a stop to him the right way.

Kylo walked towards PAD.

“The ship is ready?” Kylo asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Yes sir. Your change of clothes are located under the pilot’s seat and the ship is loaded with spare portions and water as well. Just in case, there is a medics kit stored in the overhead compartment. You should be all set to go. A blaster is in there as well.”

Kylo nodded as he dismissed PAD.

PAD turned and headed off towards his storage room. Kylo had ordered him to stay there until he got back.

Walking towards the ship, Kylo began his preflight checklist. He wanted to make sure the ship was fully functional according to his own standards before he trusted it with his life.

Footsteps echoed through the hanger bay and Kylo hoped they only belonged to some troopers.

“Supreme Leader, _what_ do _you_ think you’re doing?”

Chills traveled their way up Kylo’s spine. The hair at the base of his neck stood on ends. Of course it was Hux, _Why didn’t I pick up on his force signature?_

Kylo turned, trying to look unbothered by Hux’s sudden mysterious presence.

“I’m just taking a walk, and you?”

“I’ve come to investigate _your_ suspicious activity.”

“Hmm, sounds to me like you’re making accusations about _your_ Supreme Leader. Besides Hux,” Kylo said with disgust present on his tongue, “don’t you have a military to be rebuilding? What are you doing wasting your time stalking me?” Kylo turned the question around on Hux.

“Well sir,” Hux cleared his throat.

“You may call me Supreme Leader Ren” Kylo snapped confidently.

“Yes si-Surpreme Leader. In regards to the military, I am working to rebuild as fast as humanly possible. With the absence of Phasma it’s been difficult.”

“Stop making excuses Hux.”

“Supreme Leader, might _I_ advise you to stop worrying about what I’m doing with the military and instead worry about cracking down on more star systems? Or focus on finally eradicating the blasted Resistance!”

“I think there’s something you still need to learn...”

Kylo lifted his arm and began force choking Hux. He made sure to be light enough for Hux to still be able to suck in breath, but the attempts would be difficult and painful.

Hux’s hand shot up towards his throat as he began choking for air.

“…the more you tighten your grip, Hux, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.”

Kylo released his grip on Hux and let the man pant like a dog on the ship’s cool floor.

Storm troopers stared at the scene. Nothing unusual but Kylo’s display was a reminder of just how powerful he could be.

Hux stood collected himself and started back towards the bridge. His face red from embarrassment and anger as he went.

 _At long last,_ Kylo thought. _The rat’s gone. I can finally get out of here._

Kylo boarded the light freighter and continued his pre-flight checklist.

After a few minutes and everything was A-Okay Kylo com’d PAD.

“I’m ready for departure. Send the order through for the _Supremacy_ to drop out of light speed and drop the trash. At which time I’ll take off for myself. Thank you, PAD.”

PAD obeyed and from his closet sent the order through for the ship to dump its trash, at which point Kylo took off and flew free.

***

The hour was 10:00 and Kylo was flying along the Hydian Way. His ship is an 8.0 past light speed and according to his calculations he should be reaching his destination in about an hour.

Kylo slipped into light speed and put his feet up for the first time in a while. He dimmed the cockpit window so he didn’t have to watch the blue and white flashes of light speed. It made him dizzy if he did.

Letting the ship’s autopilot kick in, Kylo took a protein bar from his pouch and imagined the peanut butter he’d be able to indulge in in just a few hours. It’d been years since Kylo had been able to eat peanut butter and he couldn’t wait.

In the meantime, Kylo had the stale, processed, protein bar.

After he was finished, Kylo closed his eyes and imagined Rey.

He thought about her eyes, the way they twinkled whenever she saw him. He thought about her hair, the way it was always dirty and up. Then he thought about what it looked like during their last connection. Rey’s hair had been down and clean for once. It’s gentle waves framed her face and swayed with her as she moved. Her light freckles complimented her rosy cheeks and her wide smile was friendly and comforting. He wanted to kiss it during the entirety of his haircut. Kylo couldn’t help himself from thinking about the parts of Rey he’d seen accidentally as well. He didn’t necessarily mean to look down her shirt, it just sort of happened.

_Kriff, why did I have to think about that. Darn you Ben, now you’re stuck thinking about all of Rey’s perfect features with an uncomfortable bulge. That’s. Just. Great._

Kylo stood up from the pilot’s seat and decided this was as good a time as any to change into his bounty hunters cover.

As Kylo changed he let himself cool down before putting on the cargo pants.

_Dammit Ben, don’t think of her like that._

But Kylo couldn’t help it. He couldn’t stop thinking about Rey and the intimate moments they had shared. She filled his every thought and he was embarrassed at how often his pants tented because of it. _Kriff, you’re not sixteen anymore, why can’t you chill out._ Kylo started arguing with himself as he pulled on the heavy bounty hunter boots. _Uh maybe it’s because you’re a 29-year-old virgin you dip._ Kylo thought in response to his previous question. _Ugh I’m pathetic_. Kylo slumped, feeling defeated as he placed the hunter helmet on his oversized head.

The helmet was green with a yellow stripe down the side. It had a black “T” over where his eyes and nose were. The helmet was also equipped with air filtration which Kylo was thankful for. He had no interest in breathing Celanon’s polluted air for any longer than a few minutes.

Kylo sat back down in the pilot’s seat and waited for his arrival. Still thinking about Rey, Kylo now was facing yet another increasingly uncomfortable bulge in his pants. At least the cargo pants were looser and had more room.

Kylo groaned as he decided to wait it out. He just hoped that it would dissipate by the time he landed.

 

***

 

Kylo landed at the docking bay near one of Celanon’s main markets. The whole planet bombarded him when he landed. All the force energies Celanon hosted were busy and overwhelming. The air felt choppy like an ocean during a storm, there was no balance or harmony here. He felt battered and beaten by the heavy waves of energy.

Parking the ship was easy, despite the overwhelming presences Kylo couldn’t avoid. If he was going to survive this planet he’d have disconnect himself from the force, or at least dim his powers for now. 

 

***

 

Docking bay 739. _Hah, that’ll be easy to remember. It’s the same combo as the password for PAD’s closet._

Kylo left his ship with his blaster on his hip. His saber was tucked inside his leather jacket. He just hoped he wouldn’t need it.

Kylo had his credits beside his saber and was ready to set off.

 

***

 

Kylo felt excited leaving the ship. This would be his first ‘adventure’ completely alone and although he was only in search of peanut butter, he couldn’t wait to see what else may lay before him.

The planet was busy and impoverished. Beggars scurried alongside the rats. Kylo came across a little girl that was doing repairs on a ship similar to his. She was a slave, no older than ten. Kylo could tell she was branded and paid for in full from the scars on her arms. She almost reminded him of Rey. Kylo bent down and offered the girl some water before heading off on his mission. Before he could start his mission, Kylo decided he needed to find the Cantina. He decided he need a shot, something to loosen him up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of a shorter chapter but I'm really excited with where this story's going. :D  
> Next chapter coming soon! (I'm hoping I'll get it out by Friday, maybe Thursday(?)).  
> Hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am! I appreciate everyone who's reading it and supporting me in creating it!


	6. Celanon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As soon as Rey entered the planet’s atmosphere she felt bombarded with a million bustling energies.
> 
> Rey managed to maneuver the old X-wing into it’s hanger as she fought the weight of the planet.

Rey was fast asleep when BB8 busted into her room.

It was 9:00, Rey missed breakfast, and she hadn’t been seen at all since the previous night. Poe was worried so he sent BB8 in to check on her.

BB8 rolled up to Rey, she was in her bed. His scanners recognized a rosy nose, wet cheeks, and closed eyes. It appeared as though Rey had been crying which humans do when they’re awake but her heart rate confirmed that the girl was asleep.

BB8 beeped quietly trying to wake the girl… nothing.

BB8 left the girl behind as he rolled to find someone to wake her. He rolled right into Leia and explained the situation through a series of beeps and whirs..

“She’s still asleep? Interesting, I hope she’s feeling alright. She’s usually up before the rest of the base. Thank you for checking on her. Could you run into the kitchen and prepare her a bowl of oats?”

BB8 whirred as he rolled off towards the kitchens, excited to be helpful.

Leia sighed as she walked into Rey’s room.

She soaked the visual of Rey in slowly. Rey looked so calm in Ben’s old shirt, but Leia wondered why the girl had been crying in her sleep. .

Tears stained her face, and her lip was still quivering.

Leia stepped closer to Rey’s bed.

_Still so young. So innocent. She looks like she’s still just a girl in her sleep. A girl who’s carrying the weight of a war on her shoulders. Carrying more secrets than anyone should have to. A girl who’s coming to terms with loving someone. A girl who’s coming to terms with feeling loved for the first time. She shouldn’t be woken. I can’t wake her knowing all she’s been through. She needs the rest, but she also needs to get ready for her adventure._

Leia thought back to the few times she had to wake Ben. She was never there to wake him like a mother should be, in fact she was rarely there at all.  When she was, life was good, but things always seemed to interrupt her… especially her time with Ben.

 _I really messed that relationship up. I hope Rey and Ben turn out to be better parents than Han and I._ Leia thought. She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew in her heart that she would be a grandmother.

She’d dreamt her son’s future before he was even born.

As Leia sat down on Rey’s bed, preparing herself to wake her, she couldn’t help recalling the dream.

Leia connected with Ben long before he was born. Even then he had shadows lurking in his mind, but still a bright future. Leia had all sorts of dreams, nightmares about his future. Leia didn’t  believe all of them could happen in one lifetime. How could he bear a red saber and a blue one? How could he fall in love with a girl from nowhere while wearing a dark mask? How could he bring children into the world with a woman he’d once interrogated? At the time Leia thought her dreams were meaningless, only when she first saw Rey walk off the Falcon did she realize what they had truly been.

The Force had shown her her son’s future. Not multiple versions of it, but one solid version that took many turns and twists along the way. Every story has its up and downs.

The moment Rey walked down the Falcon’s ramp Leia was hit with emotion. She immediately knew who the girl was; the one with the three buns and a staff.

Leia embraced the stranger as her memories and visions reconnected themselves in her mind. The stitches sewing the memories together molded perfectly and clearly.

This girl, this _stranger_ was her son’s future. She would save him from his past and light his way to the future. Somehow. Leia knew this was all true, only she couldn’t believe it. She didn’t believe understand how it could be possible, so she decided to push the memories away once again. Just like she pushed away Ben.

Leia promised herself she’d never push Rey away.

She was no mother, not to Ben and especially not to Rey, but Leia knew it was important to be a motherly figure in Rey’s life.

Leia reached her gentle hand out and swept a strand of tangled hair away from Rey’s delicate face.

“Rey, it’s time to wake up.”

The words felt foreign and unnatural coming from Leia’s lips.

She’d grown so used to being a general, a leader that she never learned how to be a mother or a wife. That was her greatest regret. Her greatest failure.

Rey’s wet eyelashes fluttered as she stirred. Leia combed Rey’s hair once again, gently, in an attempt to be comforting.

Rey rolled onto her back slowly until she shot awake. Rey force pulled her staff to her in a defensive position as she opened her eyes for the first time to greet the day.

Leia abruptly moved away from Rey, in seconds she found herself halfway across the room with her hands raised beside her face.

“I’m sorry Rey, I didn’t mean to frighten you awake. I just wanted to let you know that it’s 9:05 and you should probably start getting ready for your journey.”

Rey sat panting with her staff in her hand. She lowered it as she wiped the tears from her cheeks and the snot from her nose. She felt embarrassed at her overreaction to being woken so abruptly.

“Thank you Leia, sorry I scared you with my staff. I’m just not used to being comforted and I didn’t sense you in here.”

“I understand Rey. BB8 will be in with some oats any minute. I left your day’s outfit in the cockpit of the _Falcon_. I didn’t know where else to leave it and since it was stored aboard the _Falcon_ I thought It’d be easiest to leave it there. The X-wing you’ll be flying is in the hanger bay. It’s the same T-65 you practiced on with Poe yesterday. Sorry we couldn’t get anything more inconspicuous at such short notice but I figured you’re comfortable piloting it and it’ll allow you and Poe to leave Celanon at different times if the need for that arises.”

“Thank you. Can’t wait.”

Leia paused, her focus shifting from informing her of the day’s plans to the dampness that still remained on Rey’s cheeks.

“Rey, are you okay?”

“Yes.” Rey nodded as she leaned her staff against the wall beside her bed. “Just a little on edge I guess.”

“Bad dreams?”

“Always.” Rey remarked.

“I’m sorry. Oh, here comes BB8. I’ll let you get ready. I’ll see you after you get back. Be safe please, watch your back. Don’t use the Force too much down there though, people enslave Force users on Celanon. Try to be as unnoticeable as possible. Just blend in please. I’ll be sending you with 2,000 credits. Hopefully that’ll be enough to get some new material and possibly tea, for our own indulgence.” Leia sounded like a mother preparing her kid for their first sleepover or first time leaving the house on their own.

Rey nodded, “Of course.” She was appreciative of how much Leia cared for her safety. That was something Rey had never experienced before. She’d never had someone care so much for her whereabouts until a month ago.

BB8 rolled in presenting Rey with her oats on a tray that’d been attached to one of the droid’s metal arms.

“Enjoy the trip Rey. Poe is going there on business, on account of the Resistance, regarding a new alliance. Nothing interesting, so please don’t feel anxious on his behalf. He’ll be fine.”

“Thank you again. And thank you for the oats BB8.” Rey petted the droid’s head. He twirled himself in a circle and rolled out of Rey’s room, thrilled he’d pleased her.

“Alright, now I’ll actually leave. May the Force be with you.”

Rey leaped up from her bed and embraced Leia in a warm hug, the oats still in hand.

“May the Force be with you too, always.”

With that, Leia left the room.

 

***

 

After finishing her oats Rey, changed from Ben’s old shirt and combed her hair through. It was a tangled mess and after last night’s sleep and the heavy knots were giving Rey a headache.

Rey pulled on her old leather boots and tied the ratted laces slowly as she concentrated on the bow.

Lost in thought Rey grabbed her staff and blaster and headed off for the _Falcon._ She felt as though she was still in the hypnotic dream she’d woken from. It was the same as the one she’d had the previous night only this time she was watching the dream from Ben’s perspective. The dream had felt so real. She could feel Ben’s emotions and see her own worried expression as she dodged fire. Rey found herself in tears and fear of her and Ben’s life and the future that may lay before them.

She was shocked to have been woken by Leia and frightened at the thought of an intruder in her room.

 

***

 

Rey climbed aboard the _Falcon_ and walked towards the pilot seat.

The bounty hunter outfit lay on the seat as Leia had promised.

 _Oh, I hope this fits._ Rey thought, shrugging off the nightmare along with her Yavin outfit.

The costume was a replica of the bounty hunter Boushh’s signature attire. Considering Boushh had been dead for over thirty years Rey and Leia supposed no one would notice or recognize it.

Rey pulled on the brown robes and pants and was thankful, in this moment, to be flat chested and petite. _Boushh sure was a tiny fella_.

Rey pulled her leather boots and Ben’s belt back on. Lately, Rey found herself feeling naked without Ben’s belt. She’d only found out it was his the previous day, but before it was confirmed as his she felt centered when she wore it.

Rey attached her holster and blaster to the belt as footsteps joined her in the cockpit.

“Hey.”

“Oh, hi Rose. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” Rey was surprised to find Rose beside her in the _Falcon._ She’d only spoken to the girl a few times but during those conversations Rey had decided that she was nice enough. Generally, Rey didn’t want to be a bother to her and Finn so she’d leave them alone.

“You’re definitely pulling that off.” Rose motioned to Boushh’s bounty outfit. “I was wondering if you needed any help braiding your hair so it could fit under the helmet.”

“Oh, I was just going to put it in a few buns—”

“Oh that won’t do, they’ll be so uncomfortable under the helmet. Here, let me help you.”

“Thanks Rose.” Rey sat on the floor as she gripped her crossed ankles. Her body hugged her knees like a child’s.

“I never learned how to braid. Never had anyone to teach me.”

“Oh.” Rose paused mid braid. “Well, when you get back from Celanon I can teach you properly, if you’d like of course.”

“I would love that. Thank you.”

Rose continued pulling and tugging until she had a completed French braid that sat atop Rey’s head like a crown.

Rey reached up and patted her braid, inspecting it with her fingers delicately.

“Thank you so much Rose, can I look?”

“Of course.” Rose giggled.

Rey ran off towards the _Falcon’s_ restroom and gazed at her hair in the mirror. It looked beautiful. The braid made her feel like royalty, made her feel prettier than she ever could be.

Rey skipped back towards Rose and thanked her immensely.

“I don’t want to ruin it with the helmet but it’s perfect!”

“I’m glad you like it. I used to braid my sister’s hair all the time. That was our thing we’d do together before one of us would go somewhere without the other. Sort of like a symbol of eternal twisting love if that makes sense.”

“It absolutely makes sense, I’m sorry you lost her.”

“It’s okay, she died fighting for us. She passed so we could be here today.”

“Yes she did. Thank you again Rose.”

With that, Rey place the weighted helmet over her head. The brown mask felt heavy and suppressive. The black slit located at the eyes obscured Rey’s peripheral vision but she’d learn to cope. She was just wearing this so that she wouldn’t be recognized after all, however, Rey still wished the helmet wasn’t as iscolating. She felt as alone within the helmet as she had in her ATAT back home.

The voice modulator kicked in when Rey spoke again to Rose.

“I assume you said, ‘May the Force be with you, in which case I’m going to respond: May the force be with you too.”

Rey cocked her masked head to the side and smiled.

Rose smiled back, though she couldn’t see Rey’s smile she knew it was present beneath the mask.

“Alright, you’re officially late. You gotta get going, any longer and Poe’s going to be annoyed.”

Rey nodded her mask as she placed and understanding hand on Rose’s shoulder before heading into the hanger bay in search of Poe.

 

***

 

Rey found Poe beside the X-wings they were going to fly to Celanon in.

“Hey Poe, ready?” Rey attempted to say. Unfortunately, the voice modulator continued to change her voice. The sounds filling the air came out sounding robotic and foreign.

“Woooaaahhh, what’s up with your mask there? I think you have the settings wrong because that’s definitely _not_ English.”

“What?” Rey tried saying, but the mask changed her words yet again.

“Here, let me.” Poe reached out and took the mask off of Rey’s head. She ducked out of it and smoothed her hand over her braided crown.

Poe flipped the mask upside down and clicked a button located inside the voice modulator. He handed it back to Rey seeming unmoved by the weight of the helmet.

“Thanks.” Rey placed the helmet back on her head.

“You know you don’t need to wear it until we actually get to Celanon right?”

“Ya.” This time when Rey spoke her voice sounded robotic but at least it was speaking English.

“I was just going to wait to take it off again until after we enter lightspeed.”

“Whatever you say. Alright let’s get to it.” Poe said as he began climbing the ladder to his X-wing.

Rey ran over to hers and once again completed her pre-flight checklist, when everything checked off she gave Poe two gloved thumbs up. He winked in response and they were off.

Rey and Poe soared towards space in their rinky-dink  X-wings.

The weather on Yavin IV was poor and Rey was surprised to emerge from the base into storm clouds.

A wave of disappointment washed over Rey as she and Poe flew above her mediation pyramids. She was bummed she hadn’t been able to enjoy her morning routine because she overslept. Rey decided it was okay. She’s learned to come to terms with far worse in the past.

The excitement Rey felt for her adventure was enough to keep her going that morning.

“Alright Rey, I know you’ve never flown an X-wing in space but don’t sweat it. I think it’s easier than flying an X-wing on the ground so you’ll be fine.”

“Damn Poe, relax. It’s going to be okay” Rey could tell Poe was the one on edge that day. _He’s probably just nervous about his official Resistance business meeting._ Rey decided.

A few moments after Rey and Poe broke through the cloud’s barrier they found themselves heading through the atmosphere.

Rey and Poe entered Celanon’s coordinates into the X-wing’s navigational computers and they jumped to lightspeed.

“We’ll be arriving to Celanon in about 45 minutes. You’re going to be landing in hanger 236 near the main market and trading post on Celanon. I’ll be on the opposite side of the planet in my meeting. Originally it was going to be taking place near the main trading posts as well but we had a change in plans. Just don’t stay down there too long. You can head back to Yavin IV as soon as you’ve finished your errands.”

“Thanks Poe. Quick question, is there a dimmer on this X-wing’s windows? I’m feeling dizzy and lightspeed sick at the moment.”

“Oh ya, it’s the button right beside the lightspeed handle.”

“Cool thanks.” Rey eagerly pressed the button as she took deep breaths in an attempt to avoid having a second run-in with her breakfast.

“So, what do you want to do while we fly through lightspeed for the next 43 minutes?”

“I was thinking we could play a game. Never have I ever?” Poe proposed.

“I don’t know how to play.”

“Alright well it’s easy. I usually play it as a drinking game but there’s no Corellian liquor nearby so fingers it is. Ok, so you’ll say something you’ve never done and if I’ve done it I’ll put a finger down. Whoever puts all ten of their fingers down first loses.”

Rey nodded. _Sounds easy enough._ “Alright, you go first. I bet I’ll win the whole thing, I’ve barely done anything.”

Poe chuckled out of pity. “Alright fingers up, never have I ever... fought with a lightsaber.”

“Ugh damn it. You’re really just going to go for everything you know I’ve done and you haven’t. Alright, if that’s how it’s going to be… Never have I ever eaten fresh bread.”

“You got me, mom used to make it when I was a kid.” Poe paused thinking of his ‘never’. “Never have I ever… used the force. “

“Ok, ok, two fingers down. Never have I ever danced in the rain.”

“Done it. Never have I ever dressed up as a bounty hunter.”

“Oohh, that’s just mean. Never have I ever kissed a man.”

“Does that mean you’ve kissed a woman?”

“Ugh no! Never have I ever kissed anyone.”

“Got it. Yep done it, men and women, so we’re tied.”

“Are you gay Poe?” Rey asked too bluntly. She suddenly had the realization at how rudely she’d proposed the question and felt uncomfortable sitting in the cockpit of the X-wing.

“Gay? Not exactly, I guess I don’t let gender stand in the way of who I’m attracted to. If I want to get it on with someone I find attractive it doesn’t matter if they’re a man or a woman, it just matters if we can relate to each other and if they have a good personality.”

“Oh that’s cool.”

“Well I think so. Anyways, never have I ever planted a garden.”

“Nope, haven’t done it.”

“Your never have I ever?” Poe asked patiently.

“I’m bored of that. Another game perhaps?”

“Sure, 20 questions?”

“Sure. That’s one I actually know how to play.”

Rey and Poe continued playing twenty questions throughout the flight.

They dropped out of lightspeed gently and gave friendly goodbyes as they took off towards different sides of the planet.

 

***

 

As soon as Rey entered the planet’s atmosphere she felt bombarded with a million bustling energies.

Rey managed to maneuver the old X-wing into it’s hanger as she fought the weight of the planet.

Placing her helmet back on her head, Rey found herself struggling to breath under the weight of all of the force signatures she was picking up on. She had to find a way to turn this off. Luke could do it so Rey decided she could to.

Rey climbed out of her X-wing and sat in the Lotus Pose and began meditating. She placed her staff beside her and imagined her mind was a door to the rest of the world’s force energies. She slammed the door and suddenly the noise of the planet wasn’t as overwhelming. The air still felt like a choppy sea, but it was no longer a ravenous storm like it had been previously.

Rey stood and started off towards the market and trading posts.

She passed a little girl who was chugging water just outside the cantina, she reminded her so much of herself. Rey felt as though she had seen the little girl before. _So familiar._ _Hmm, that’s strange. She’s drinking from a First Order canteen. Since when do they take interest in dehydrated little girls?_ Rey figured it was just something the girl had acquired through pickpocketing and she thought nothing more of it.

Rey walked down the dirty street as she made her way to the market tents. The ground was dusty, leaving little clouds behind everyone as they walked. The city was crowded and dense.

_There’s little nature here. Little life. So many souls yet none of them are actually living. They’re just barely managing to survive._

Rey choked on the thick air, the pollution on this planet was so profuse the whole planet looked as though it was dusk.

Rey checked the time out of curiosity. Celanon was in the same time zone as Yavin, how long had she been in hyperspace, Rey wondered. _Nope. Not crazy.It’s 11:17._ _Guess the sky’s just that dirty._

Rey managed to make her way to the linen and material tent. It looked just as Leia had said it would. Thick cotton roof lay above her, supported by wooden beams. An old woman with sunken eyes and dark skin sat behind the table separating Rey and her.

“I’m here for a pick-up.” Rey pulled out a piece of paper and began reading what Leia had written for her to say.

“The first order thanks you for your generosity and would like to offer you 328 credits for your troubles. Please deliver my order to hanger 236. Thank you.”

The old woman under the worn tent nodded and waved to one of her workers.

Rey reached into her pocket and grabbed 328 credits and placed them in the woman’s hand.

“Thank you.” The wrinkled face responded. She nodded and continued. “El has told me much about you. You’re destined for amazing things. I think you should walk that way child.” The old woman pointed down the market to a building in derelict condition. Rey nodded at the woman and continued down the street.

_El? Did she mean L for Leia, well that’s the only thing I can think of. Now what did she want me to find..._

Rey continued walking down the street passing many food vendors on the way. Despite the appalling smell of the planet, the smell of the food was overpowering Rey’s senses.

Suddenly, her focus on the food was broken. She was captivated by faint whispers in her mind. They were calling her. Similar to how the tree called her on Ach-tu.

Rey gripped her staff tightly as she walked towards an old building that seemed to be host to the whispers. Sliding by pedestrians Rey tried not to look suspicious or out of place.

She entered the terracotta building, it’s roof was mostly collapsed but Rey hardly paid any attention to it.

The light inside the building was dim but Rey’s eye’s managed to adjust. Torches attached to the walls near the hole in the wall that Rey treated as the door were all that lit the room.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her mask, she saw another figure join her in the dilapidated building.

The air that was once choppy now felt still, as if time itself ceased to exist.

There was something familiar about the figure that had followed her.

_A fellow person in a costume._

The bounty hunter that stood before her was tall and broad. He wore old black boots, tan cargo pants, a faded green armored shirt, a black vest, and a green helmet with a yellow stripe down the side. Black gloves covered the man’s hand and Rey finally realized who the man before her was.

The voices that drew her to the decrepit building suddenly sung in harmony.

_“Balance.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! It's a bit longer which I hope is appreciated. I'm really excited for the next chapter! They're finally seeing each other in person for the first time since the throne room!


	7. Peanut Butter and Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “BEN!”  
> Rey was a statue, shocked at the fact that Ben was standing no more than ten feet before her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for an update, (I guess a week isn't thaaaattt long but still), just had a really busy week. Hope the wait was worth it!

 

“BEN!”

Rey was a statue, shocked at the fact that Ben was standing no more than ten feet before her.

_How is this possible?! He’s supposed to be on the Supremacy parading around the galaxy as Supreme Leader!_

Rey animated herself as she tore her mask from her head and sprinted towards Ben. The voices still sung throughout the rubble of the building.

_Balance._

_Peace._

_Harmony._

_Life._

_Death._

_Love._

_Dark._

_Light._

_Grey._

 

***

 

(5 minutes prior.)

Kylo despised his bounty hunters costume. The pants were a little too short and the jacket a little too snug on his broad frame. Aside from accommodating his shoulders, the jacket also had to hide Kylo’s large saber and bountiful credits.

The bounty hunter ‘outfit’ felt foreign, but at the same time he couldn’t waltz around the market of a third world planet as Supreme Leader.

The restrictive attire meant freedom.

Kylo walked through the crowded streets trying to find his destination. He was much taller than many of the lifeforms surrounding him, which Kylo was finding advantageous. However, the added height also drew unwanted attention to the foreign form.

Kylo gripped the pack around his waist tightly, it’s value wasn’t much to the average passerby, but to Kylo its contents were priceless.

He had been able to pick up some more ink for his favorite art form.

Kylo had always enjoyed calligraphy, but he was never able to send out for ink and paper. Now that he was free on Celanon, he refused to miss the opportunity to stock up on ink and paper. Kylo even invested in a new quill pen. It was far nicer than the ones he had learned on and Kylo couldn’t wait to create _something_ when he returned to the _Supremacy._ Upon purchasing the paper and pen Kylo decided he was going to create something for Rey. He was going to write something for her. A poem? Possibly her name. He hadn’t decided exactly what he was going to create but he was thrilled for the challenge to get creative for the one he loved.

Kylo slipped through the crowd with increasing speed. His eyes tugged him towards his destination: the food tents.

Kylo had his mind set on finding some peanut butter and _especially_ some chocolate.

As Kylo continued through the crowd he felt like a charged magnet getting pulled towards a collapsed building.

 _Hmm, I wonder what’s in there, maybe a force artifact-blech unlikely. It’s probably just some force sensitive kid. Ok, you can go check it out but first you need to find what you’re craving. All right, peanut butter, peanut butter, peanut butter…_ Kylo thought as he walked by every food tent. _Ahhh, yes there it is._

Kylo approached a shack. The shack had walls woven from thick material and a twig roof. Dimly lit lanterns illuminated the space within. Inside, sat a cloaked member of the Kubaz species, his grey trunk swung as he spoke.

“Whadd’ya want?” The Kubaz asked, seemingly bothered by Kylo’s presence.

“Just some delicious, smooth peanut butter and chocolate if you have some.” Kylo retorted.

“Humph, ya I got some but I don’t deal with Bounty Hunters. Too messy.”

“Well then, I’m sure you’d be pleased to hear that I’m no bounty hunter. I can pay well for the delicacies. Please, if only you would sell me what I’m requesting.”

“Hm, you’re a weird one. Still, I have no interest in doing business wit ’ya. Now bugger off.” The Kubaz waved his hand like he was swatting a fly.

Kylo’s patience had run out. He raised his hand and summoned the Force to the best of his abilities. He’d dimmed it to cope with the overwhelmingly busy planet so tuning it to his advantage while keeping out the bustling energies around him took focus and some extra maneuvering.

“You will sell me two jars of peanut butter and some magnificent milk and dark chocolate. I will pay you fairly and you will be pleased doing business with me.”

The Kubaz’s eyes glazed over and he repeated what Kylo had told him while he prepared the man’s order.

“I will sell you two jars of peanut butter and some magnificent milk and dark chocolate. You will pay me fairly and I am pleased doing business with you.”

“Thank you.” Kylo took the bag containing the peanut butter and chocolate from the Kubaz and placed 20 credits on the table. He was a man of his word; 20 credits were more than what the products purchased were worth.

Kylo turned and left the shack and the Kubaz creature behind.

He still felt like he was being pulled towards the collapsed terracotta building.

Kylo felt like he was in a trance, tied to the end of a string. The string was being pulled ever so slightly, tugging Kylo closer.

Something caught Kylo’s eye as he was headed towards the building. A figure dressed in brown, a bounty hunters costume. The costume was familiar, but that wasn’t what Kylo was focused on _._

_The staff, that’s…_

The figure was moving towards the building as well, she slipped with ease and delicacy. Stuck in the same trance, tied to the same string.

Kylo started off in a sprint and followed the figure into the hole in the wall.

 

***

 

Kylo stood still as a mountain. The force sung around him in harmony, though he had it dimmed in his mind, it was still louder than he’d ever heard it.

_Balance._

_Peace._

_Harmony._

_Life._

_Death._

_Love._

_Dark._

_Light._

_Grey._

Kylo was trying to process everything when he had the realization that he was with Rey, in person, for the first time since Snoke had died. He was finally in her presence and was standing still, like an idiot.

Kylo ripped his green and yellow mask from his head while throwing caution to the wind as he ran towards Rey.

His Rey.

Rey tossed her helmet to the side and bounded towards Kylo with equally eager speed.

Kylo and Rey met in the middle as the pair mutually threw themselves at each other.

They embraced in a passionate, needy kiss.

Clumsy and new, Kylo felt excited as his hands found their way to Rey’s braided hair.

She was so beautiful.

Rey’s hands found their way to Kylo’s neck and he felt wanted. Needed.

The two found the strength to pull apart.

They gazed in each other’s hungry eyes.

Neither of them wanted to speak first, they wanted this moment to last forever.

“Hi.” Rey began.

Kylo couldn’t stop smiling, his stomach was doing flips like an acrobat at the circus.

“Hi Rey.”

Kylo felt the need to feel Rey’s soft skin on his lips. He kissed her forehead, Rey broke it off moving for his lips.

 _This feels so right._ Kylo thought.

Kylo embraced Rey in a hug. She nuzzled her head in the crook of his shoulder and he felt more comfortable than he’d ever felt before.

Acceptance, love, balance.

“What are you doing here Rey?!”

“What am I doing here? What are _you_ doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be Supreme Leader?”

“Well, technically… But I snuck out for a few hours.” Rey and Kylo touched foreheads.

Breathing each other in, feeling each other’s warmth. Their skin hummed at the contact.

“You snuck out? Okay, but what are you doing _here_ of all places?”

“I wanted to indulge in my favorite snack but couldn’t trust someone else to fetch it for me and not poison me in the process. Plus, I wanted to pick up some more ink and paper so I could practice my calligraphy again, maybe even draw something.”

“You draw?”

“Well, I do calligraphy but sometimes I draw. Yes.”

“Wow, what do you draw?”

“Well, I’ve always been inspired to draw things that are beautiful in their natural form. My latest inspiration has been you.”

“Me?”

“Of course.”

Rey liked the thought of Ben being inspired to draw her.

“You mentioned you were here to pick up a snack as well?”

“Oh ya—” Kylo pulled away from Rey’s warmth and headed towards the hole in the wall. He was careful to obstruct his face from peering eyes in the process.

Kylo picked up his grocery bag and headed back to Rey.

“You hungry?”

“Always.” Rey replied. Curiosity bloomed through her mind, she couldn’t wait to experience what Kylo was going to share with her.

“Here, sit.”

Kylo and Rey sat across from each other on the rubble covered floor. Neither of them could erase the smiles plastered across their faces.

Kylo pulled the jar of peanut butter out of the woven bag.

“So, this is peanut butter.” He unscrewed the lid and allowed Rey to smell the smooth contents of the jar.

“Hm, it smells good. Wait, peanuts make butter?”

Kylo laughed. “No, but when you ground them up they make this.”

“Wow, can I eat some.”

“Yes, but I think you should have some of this first.”

Kylo pulled the chocolate bars out of the bag.

He broke a piece of the milk chocolate off first. Offering it to Rey, Kylo couldn’t wait to see her face when she tasted it.

Rey took the chocolate from him delicately. She smelled it out of habit.

“Wow, it smells… sweet, unlike anything I’ve ever had before.”

“Yes, it does. That’s milk chocolate. I wanted you to try that one before you try the dark chocolate. It’s an easily acquired taste.” Kylo broke off a piece of the bar for himself and he reached it out to Rey’s. “Cheers.”

“Cheers.”

They clinked their chocolate and both indulged in the sweet treat.

It had been ages since Kylo had appreciated something so delectable. He smiled goofily as it melted in his mouth.

He raised his hand over his lips to hide the fact that he hadn’t swallowed yet.

“What do you think?”

Rey spoke with her mouth full, ignoring the manors Leia had been imposing on her in the previous weeks. “It’s sooo good! What’s it called again.”

Kylo swallowed the smooth bite, “It’s called milk chocolate.”

“I love it! Do you have more?”

“Well yes, but I was thinking maybe you would want to try dark chocolate before you have more of the milk.”

Rey eagerly nodded her head. “If it’s anything like milk chocolate, I know I’ll love it!”

Kylo broke two pieces of dark chocolate off the dark chocolate bar and offered one to Rey.

He quickly stopped Rey from shoving her piece in her mouth.

“Heeeyy.” Rey whined.

“Dark chocolate is a little more bitter than milk. I just wanted you to take a bite knowing that it won’t taste the same.”

“Okay, can I eat it now?!”

Kylo nodded.

Rey shoved the whole piece in her mouth and crinkled her nose at the first taste of the chocolate. Her expression looked like she had just bitten into a lemon, not a piece of simply dark chocolate.

“Not what I was expecting. You’re right it’s not as good the milk chocolate.” Rey clicked her tongue, trying to dim the loud taste of the dark chocolate.

“I guess I should’ve suggested you eat it in smaller bites. Much better that way.”

Kylo took a small bite of his piece.

“What about the peanut butter?”

“Well,” Kylo swallowed. “Chocolate is amazing, and so is peanut butter, but together they’re unstoppable.”

“Oh, like you and me.”

Kylo laughed so hard his stomach hurt. “Ya, I guess. Like you and me when we went against the guards. Okay, so take some chocolate and dip it in the peanut butter. Like this.” Kylo motioned with his remaining bit of dark chocolate.

Rey broke a piece of milk chocolate off and dipped it in the peanut butter.

“I personally enjoy milk chocolate on its own and dark with peanut butter but you’ll get a chance to try both. Cheers?”

“Cheers.” 

They both took heaping bites of the indulgences and smiled.

“It’s so good!”

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to talk with your mouth open?”

“What about you? You’re doing it too!”

“That’s fair.” Kylo laughed, still eating the snack.

Rey swallowed her bite.

“What the heck, I feel like my throat’s glued shut or something!”

“That’s the peanut butter, swallow a few more times and it’ll go away.”

“Wow, beside the swallowing part, I loved that!”

“I’m glad! That was always my favorite snack growing up, it never disappoints.”

“Can I try it with the dark chocolate now?”

“Of course, here.” Kylo dipped a piece of dark chocolate in the jar of peanut butter and handed it to Rey.

“Thanks.” Rey took the bite and enjoyed it thoroughly.

“Wow, you’re right. Dark chocolate is a lot better with peanut butter.”

“It really is.”

“Are there any other kinds of chocolate?”

“Well, there’s also white chocolate, but it doesn’t compare to how amazing milk and dark is. Oh! Chocolate is also incredible when it’s paired with strawberries!”

“Strawberries? What are those?”

“They’re like…” Kylo paused, trying to find the right words. “…Tear drop shaped red fruit that wears its’ seeds on the outside.”

A puzzled expression drew itself across Rey’s face.

“I know it sounds confusing but they’re really good. I’ll be sure to let you try some sometime. The best ones grow in the gardens on Balmorra.”

“I want to go there.”

“I do too. I haven’t been since my father had to do some business in the colonies there. We were only on the planet for a few hours, but I’ve never had better strawberries anywhere else.”

“Will you take me?”

“I can…” Ben responded. “After all this is over and we’re finally free.”

“We’re free right now, are we not?”

“Well, we are, but our freedom is still restricted. The only way either of us can walk among this planet is by wearing bounty hunter costumes. We’re certainly not living these moments under…” Ben chose his next words carefully once again,” …ideal circumstances.”

“I guess you’re right. I have to fly my piece of crap X-wing back to Yavin tonight and you’ve got to go back to whatever ship you came from.”

“Wait, you guys are stationed on Yavin IV?!”

Rey clamed up. She’d almost forgotten she was speaking to the sworn enemy of the Resistance, the Supreme Leader of the First Order.

“Uhh, ya. For now. Ben please don’t run back to the First Order and spill our location! I’m begging you! At least give us a day head start.”

“No, I’m not going to tell anyone. I’m just worried for your safety if you go back tonight., or tomorrow. The _Supremacy_ is making a stop at Yavin VIII to pick up some of Hux’s mucus water.”

Rey looked confused again.

“I’ll explain later, anyways, the First Order is going to be in the Yavin system! They’re going to be no more than a few planets away from you guys. I don’t want them to get lucky and find you guys out by accident.”

“Thanks for your concern, but I think we can handle ourselves.”

“You mean the thirty remaining Resistance members have enough ships and supplies to fight off the entire First Order army _and_ an enraged Hux?”

“It’s not thirty anymore, we picked some more up on the way to Yavin. We reached triple digits!”

“Triple digits against millions of First Order army men?”

“Well… when you put it that way-”

“Rey, I just want you to stay safe. I can’t protect you from the entire First Order!”

“I understand Ben, thank you for worrying so much, but don’t you have bigger things to worry about?”

“Like what?”

“Like the galaxy, or what this all means?” Rey spun her finger between the two of them.

“I know what this means.” Kylo mimicked Rey’s motion with his own finger.

“I mean the Force bond, or how we’re supposed to live on opposite sides of the galaxy while having feelings for each other.”

Kylo sat back in shock. Rey had admitted that she had feelings for him! He felt as giddy as a school girl who got extra credit just for showing up.

“I know as much as you do about our bond.”

“Why does it feel so right when we’re in the same room? Face to face, back to back?”

“You mean balance, harmony, all that crap?”

“Yes!”

“Ya, I sensed it too. It was as though the air grew calm when we entered each other’s energy fields. Like time stood still.”

“Exactly! This planet was so busy, I had to mute my force senses just to prevent my head from exploding.”

“Same here, I guess that’s why we didn’t sense each other when we were both in the same crowded market.”

Rey nodded.

“So, why are _you_ here?”

“Oh, Leia wanted me to pick up some material on behalf of the Resistance.”

“And she sent you here all alone in her old Boushh costume with nothing but a blaster and staff for protection. Oh, and on top of that, she sent you in the most inconspicuous ship of them all… an X-wing?!”

“Well ya-“

“Do you know how stupid that whole plan sounds?!”

“Hey, what else was I supposed to do? It’s not like I could bring Luke’s lightsaber here when it’s still split in two!”

“It’s broken?”

“Obviously! What did you think happened to it, it grew legs and walked off?”

“I don’t know. I just know I woke up unconscious without you there.”

“Okay, so surprise,” Rey raised jazz hands beside her face. Kylo couldn’t resist himself. He reached across the jar of peanut butter that separated them and kissed Rey softly on her lips. Balancing his weight on his hands, he couldn’t help but taste her.

She tasted amazing, like peanut butter and chocolate.

“Thank you.” Rey replied, a smile on her lips.

“God, I just love doing that.”

“Me too, but you still interrupted me. As I was saying, the saber split itself down the middle. The crystal snapped as well.”

“Alright, I can see why that complicates things a little… but it won’t be that bad. You know my crystal is cracked too?”

“I know yours is cracked but mine is completely broken. In half. Like Snoke.”

The pair couldn’t refrain their laughter.

“That was good. Alight so it sounds like you’re going to need to construct an entirely new saber from a new crystal.”

“Where do I find a crystal though?”

“Well, there’s a few places you can find one, but you have to realize that it can’t be just any crystal you use. The crystal you choose you should be bonded to. Sort of like you and I, we’re bonded. Out paths intertwined, like we’re tied on opposite ends of a string.”

“Then why was I able to wield the Skywalker saber so well?”

“Don’t know. Maybe because we’re bonded and I’m a Skywalker?”

“I guess that makes sense. Okay so I have to find a crystal, where do I look?”

“Well, the black market is going to be your best bet, and we’re on Celanon so guess it’s meant to be.”

“Will you help me find one?”

“Sure, you done with the peanut butter and chocolate?”

“Yup, though I look forward to the next time we’ll get to enjoy it together.”

“Me too.” Kylo packed up the peanut butter and chocolate and placed it back in his bag.

He stood up and offered his hand to Rey. This time she took it.

Kylo bent down and retrieved both their helmets and Rey’s staff. He offered the staff and helmet to her as he placed his own helmet on.

The couple turned towards the hole in the wall when a shadow made itself present.

“Ben Solo!

Kira Rey!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this! Chapter 8 is in the revision process and will be up by this weekend! (hopefully.) Let me know what you think about where the story is going so far, feedback it awesome! <3  
> Thank you so much to @KylandaDragon for supporting me through this and giving me awesome feedback! Check her out you guys, she's go some awesome stuff!


	8. El

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before Ben knew it, he was standing between Rey and the voice. He couldn’t place where it had emanated from but that didn’t matter to him. All that mattered was keeping Rey and himself safe.
> 
> In nanoseconds he had his saber ignited and was acting as a human shield in an effort to protect Rey.   
> His back rested just before Rey’s nose and she was a statue once again. 
> 
> Unmoving and confused...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little shorter than normal but I hope you guys still enjoy it! :D

Chapter 8: El

Before Ben knew it, he was standing between Rey and the voice. He couldn’t place where it had emanated from but that didn’t matter to him. All that mattered was keeping Rey and himself safe.

 In nanoseconds he had his saber ignited and was acting as a human shield in an effort to protect Rey. His back rested just before Rey’s nose and she was a statue once again.

Unmoving and confused.

Her bony fingers gripped her staff so tightly she could’ve sworn they’d break from the strain.

Ben was seething. “Who are you?! Show yourself!”

He scanned his surroundings for possible threats or hiding locations for the disembodied voice.

“Calm children. I mean you no harm.”

The voice filled the now unsettled air. Balance was impossible to find, Rey and Ben’s emotions were erratic. The world felt like it was spinning, turning and twisting as though it had been sucked up in a tornado.

“Why should we trust you!” Ben spat feeling dizzy and unsure of where to locate the lost voice.

“Because child, I know all about you two and know that neither of you has a choice other than to trust me.”

The voice floated through the air like a feather flies with the wind. It drifted around them having no precise origin.

“Who are you?” Rey spoke up feeling like she was going to be sick from the fear. In her experience, a disembodied voice only ever meant bad things.

For the first time since Snoke’s ship, she felt terrified. Her body was shaking from the fear but she felt thankful to have Ben there with her.

Ben felt unsettled by this whole situation. _Rey is so scared. Kriff, I’m freaking out. Who is this woman? This voice? How does she know my name? Who’s Kira?... Stay strong for Rey, you can’t let the fear envelop you._ Sweat slipped its way under the collar of his jacket as his muscles tensed. His whole body was tight and unforgiving.

Ben reached his right arm around Rey’s back pressing her closer to the safety of his back. He needed the reminder that she was there with him and he had a reason to center himself.

Rey hung onto her staff, still terrified. Beads of sweat slowly crept their way down Rey’s wrinkled forehead. Her brows furrowed tightly showing her anxiety to the room.

The light of Ben’s saber filled the broken space, masking everything in a dim red glow.

“Dammit, show yourself!”

“Patience, young one, is a virtue.”

“A virtue I don’t want right now! Who the hell are you and how do you know my name?”

 “Alright, if you’re going to be like that I guess you leave me no other choice.” A ghostly apparition appeared before Ben and Rey.

Rey snapped her eyes shut the moment she saw the figure; her hypothesis of the voice had been confirmed.

Ben, however, was not so quick to judge. Confusion and curiosity were present in his gaze as he looked the figure over, making mental notes of its appearance.

The figure embodied the height of an old woman, ancient and weak. Sunken eyes stared into Ben’s chest… through to Rey who was still hiding in fear. Fear hardly came naturally to her, but in this situation, Rey suddenly felt like fear was a natural instinct. An instinct embedded in her since birth, hard-wired into her DNA. It came as easily as breathing, this further terrified Rey.

Rey felt like she’d come face to face with this ghost before, a familiarity hung around her. Rey’s stomach churned at the thought.

The woman’s hair hung heavily around her decrepit features. She was presenting herself in a pair of Jedi robes, however, the robes didn’t seem to suit the woman. She looked like she was playing dress up, like she hadn’t earned them.

“You haven’t answered my question. How do you know my name?”

“You should be less concerned about how I know your name and more confused about how I know hers.”

The woman raised a frail arm through Ben and pointed directly at the spot between Rey’s eyes.

Though the woman looked solidified, she wasn’t. A pale blue aura surrounded her, intensifying in color when she moved.

Ben’s arm was still wrapped around his back and behind Rey’s when he turned his head to look at her. She looked horrified and panicky. Ben didn’t think it was possible for Rey to look so terrified, she always looked so gentle, kind, strong, fearless but now she was engulfed in fear.

“Rey? It’s okay, don’t let the fear envelop you. Don’t surround yourself with the darkness, open your eyes.” He gave Rey’s quivering body a comforting squeeze as she slowly opened her leaking eyes.

Rey loosened her grip on her staff, allowing the blood a chance to return to her numb knuckles.

Rey reached out her left hand and positioned it high on Ben’s arm as she moved to his right side. Ben twisted his arm with Rey as she moved so that it rested around Rey’s right shoulder. He hugged her to him.

Rey felt like an idiot for not coming to Celanon with better protection. A staff and a blaster would barely be able to protect even those skilled in combat. Rey could hold her own but she knew she’d be unable to fight to the death with the weapons she armed herself with.

Rey positioned herself safely beside Ben, her left hand still held herself up with its firm grip on his arm. She was holding her staff in a defensive position along the right side of her body. Though the staff would have no effect on the ghostly woman, the feeling of its security was comforting.

“Now that you’re situated young ones, take off those ridiculous masks and look upon me with your own eyes.”

Ben and Rey glanced at each other through their masks before cautiously and simultaneously removing them.

Tears still hung to Rey’s chin like rain clings to leaves after a rainstorm. 

Finally gaining enough courage to speak Rey began, “Why are you here…who are you?!”

“Look who’s gotten courage enough to emerge from her protective shell.” The old woman stared at Rey again, emotionless.

“Don’t talk to her like that, who do y-” Ben defensively began before the old figure cut him off.

“Ben Solo, Kira Rey…” The old woman looked between the two as their expressions only grew in confusion. “So much conflict and turmoil shutters through you, you’re weak when you’re apart. You feel like there are critical pieces of you missing, those pieces belong to the other person. Fascinating, two halves of a whole. You fit together like two pieces of a very complicated puzzle. Both of you are at your strongest when you’re together, you’re unstoppable. But when you’re apart you feel like you’re drowning under the weight of the galaxy. The Force does mysterious things sometimes.”

“Why are you telling us this?” Rey tried to sound as collected as possible.

“Because dear, the two of you have been drawn together. Pulled like magnets, equal and opposite powers. The Force pushes you together because when you are together there is balance.”

Ben and Rey glanced at each other with understanding before nodding towards the woman.

“What does any of this have to do with who you are and how you know Ben’s name?”

“Interesting you’re not asking me why I’ve been referring to you as Kira Rey.”

“Start there,” Ben demanded.

“Alright, well Kira, what do you remember of your childhood?”

“You seem to know more about me than I do, why don’t you tell me?” Rey replied sarcastically, trying to stand strong.

“Alright then, all you can remember is living on Jakku as a slave. Dumped like trash when you were five, you remember nothing before then. For as long as you can recollect, you lived among the trash, survived off the trash, were treated like trash, and grew up believing you were nothing. Nothing more and a trash load your parents left behind. Since leaving Jakku you’ve been searching for answers to your past. First with Maz then with Luke. When they didn’t give you what you wanted you found yourself in the cave, still searching for answers. Every answer you were given lead you to Ben. Every. Single. One. Would you agree that what I’ve said is correct?”

Rey nodded quickly, avoiding eye contact with the two pairs of eyes that were gazing upon her.

“So, answers. If answers are what you seek perhaps I should grant you them. Do you still want them, Kira?”

Rey pondered the offer carefully. “I--- I don’t know.”

“Still so conflicted child, you’ve been searching for the answers to your questions all your life. Now that I’m handing them to you on a silver platter you turn them down?”

Rey considered the old woman once again. Answers were all she had ever wanted but now, there was so much more on her mind. Rey decided that if she’d waited this long for answers to her lifelong mystery, she could wait a little longer.

“Sometimes you had to climb twenty extra grueling feet in the glaring hot sun for the best find on Jakku. I’ve climbed halfway on my own, I don’t want someone to pull me up the rest of the way.”

“As you wish. Now Ben Solo…”

“Yes?”

“You grew up in an interesting household. Well… that would be an understatement. Your mother was a Rebellion leader and, by the time you were born, was working to build the New Republic. Your father was a smuggler and had been all your life. He felt alone raising you in the first few years of your life. As you got older and more independent you felt like you came in the way of your parent’s relationship. As a family, you would go on fun adventures but when you were home your parents always fought. They’d often send you away to your room, you too felt like unwanted garbage. Always getting sent away or shipped off. Your parents loved each other but growing up you thought they’d love each other more had you not been there. They never told you the truth about your past, you found out from the Holo News who your grandfather was. To this day you don’t know who your grandmother was or the importance she held in the world. Interesting, guess what they say is true. The truth dies with the holders of the secrets. Everyone who knew the truth are long since gone. Although, someday soon, you’ll discover the truth. I’ve seen it. Same as you Rey, you’ll find out your past. As soon as you both discover your pasts you’ll be able to move into the future.”

“Tell us something we don’t know.” Ben retorqued.

“Neither of you will accept your pasts until you discover them for yourselves. I’ve seen your futures, or versions of them at least. Lots of potential for the two of you but for now you need to discover the truths about yourselves.”

“How do you suppose we do that?” Rey asked. “He’s the Supreme Leader and I’m supposed to be the Last Jedi, fighting to keep the Resistance alive.” Rey almost rolled her eyes but managed to maintain her composure.

“Search your feelings young one, you know the truth. You already know you can’t be “The Last Jedi.” You don’t want to be.”

“Is that true?”

Rey considered Ben’s dark warm eyes, “Yes.” She concluded with a gentle nod.

“What do you want to be then?”

“I don’t know. Something different, not dark, not light but still balanced.”

“Like you said, it’s time for the Jedi to end. The Sith, all of it.” The woman added.

“I’ve been trying to decipher Luke’s books in an effort to see if they spoke about a third party. Something balanced. But I haven’t had luck even translating the texts.”

“I can help you with that,” Ben added. “Remember, I’ve studied them in the past. Well, probably. Not sure which versions you’re referring to but it’s worth a shot.”

“Well, sounds like the two of you have some things you need to find the time to get around to. You came to the conclusions on your own and that’s how you’re going to make it out of this.”

“By working together.” The pair said in unison.

The three pairs of eyes danced from face to face, everyone considering the other people, or ghosts, in the room.

“So, who are you?” Ben asked one last time. His patience had finally run out.

“Me? Oh, I’m nobody important.”

“You know, I said that once to someone who is the most valuable girl in the galaxy.”

“Everybody’s a somebody,” Rey added.

“I’m simply a knowledge seeker. I feed on it. I also know the Force and have been awaiting your arrivals for many years. HAH! Did I say years, I mean generations!”

“Generations?”

“Of course! God, didn’t you realize I’m a ghost!”

“Well yes, that’s why I was so afraid of you at first. On Jakku seeing a ghost meant---”

“I know, it meant your time among the living was over or had already ended. Yadda-yadda-yadda…”

“Uh ya.”

“Young ones, you have some errands to run. I believe first on the list is finding a kyber crystal for Kira. Next, I believe was dropping off the material back to the Resistance.” The woman looked past the couple, as though she was checking the future to make sure she had the order of events right. “Yep, then Ben needs to turn into Kylo for a hot minute and then you’re free to finish your errands. Jakku, Tatooine, Naboo, who knows where the Force may lead you besides the Force! You best be off!”

“Uh, this has been the strangest interaction I’ve ever had. What do we call you?” Ben asked politely.

“El will suffice, should we ever meet again.”

“El!” Rey realized that this was who the saleswoman spoke of.

“Yes, El. For I am anything you want me to be. The air, the sea, the wind, the earth, one with the Force. I am everywhere.”

“Um, ok. But doesn’t El mean king of the gods in some religions?” Ben asked.

“Who said I have to be one gender. King, blech. Plus, gods? Child, there is only the Force. The Force is the past, present, and future. It is everything. It binds the galaxy together. Some think of that as a God’s work but it’s just what it is. The Force is made up of all things living dead, past, present. Good, bad.”

“I get the picture. That’s fascinating.”

“Remember young ones. You are one with the Force and the Force is with you.”

“We will,” Rey spoke for the both of them, knowing Ben would be agreeing with her.

With that, the old woman was gone.

“What the hell just happened?” Ben asked, extinguishing his lightsaber.

“I think it’s best we don’t ask.”

“You’re probably right. So, I’ve got a few hours before I’ve got to get back to being kriffing Supreme Leader—”

“Kyber crystal?” Rey cut Ben off.

“Kyber crystal.” Ben finished with a wink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Un-beta'd because I just get too excited to post. Hope you guys enjoyed it! 9 will be coming asap.


	9. Hunters and Slavers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben search the markets of Celanon for a kyber crystal. When they come up empty handed the pair heads to the cantina to share some drinks and some truth about their pasts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***WARNING: This chapter contains depictions of a rape attempt, for anyone who is sensitive to that you may want to take precautions ***

Rey and Ben re-masked themselves as they prepared to head back out into the crowded market.

“Ladies first.” Ben motioned towards the hole in the wall as he took Rey’s right hand. Guiding her towards the opening, he mentally prepared for the busy outside world.

Rey eagerly held Ben’s hand in one hand and her staff in the other. She prayed they’d be able to avoid danger while in search of a crystal.

The pair walked through the suffocating streets, struggling to breathe under the oppressive waves of people. Their force powers were still dimmed to keep their minds from being completely overcome with everyone else’s thoughts and feelings.

Kylo scoured the crowd constantly, in search of any potential danger that could become them. So far, the coast was clear but Kylo’s shields were still raised.

“I know it’s hard to feel anything right now, but do you feel drawn in any particular direction?” Kylo asked through his helmet.

“No,” Rey responded. “It’s so busy, I feel so clouded.”

“Let me know if the smog starts making you lightheaded. If that happens I can slip you some of the oxygen my mask supplies.”

“Thanks, but I think I’m okay. I meant clouded in a more figurative sense.”

The pair continued to mosey around the market in search of anything that could be calling out to Rey.

Nothing.

Feeling frustrated, Rey felt like giving up. “Nothing more is here for me.”

“I sense it too. I’m sorry Rey, I know how much you need a crystal.”

“I do, but I want it to be the right one. I can’t settle for just any old one that we pick up off the street.” Rey knew her words were true. She needed to be bonded to her crystal-like she was bonded to Ben. “You want to grab a drink before we go our separate ways?”

“Sure.” Kylo wanted to spend as much time as possible with Rey, before returning to the First Order.

The pair maneuvered their way around the hectic streets as they headed towards the cantina, near the hanger and docking bays.

 

***

 

After about fifteen minutes of walking and dodging, the pair finally arrived at their destination.

Hand in hand, they walked towards the door.

Suddenly, a little Twi’lek girl jumped in front of them.

Her muddied clothes and bruised arms displayed her social status to all.

A slave.

Her calloused and scraped green fingers grasped a First Order canteen tightly. It was as though the very canteen had kept her alive.

“Sir?” She started, looking directly at the bounty hunter dressed Ben.

He released Rey’s hand as he bent down to the Twi’lek’s level.

“Sir, thank you for the water. I’m indebted to you and the First Order.”

Ben shook his helmeted head, “No. I’m not with the First Order, just have their canteen. I’m glad I could grant you some water. Please stay safe and keep fighting.”

The girl nodded her head.

Rey was shocked at Ben’s words. He says he’s not affiliated with the First Order… wow. Oh my god! That’s the girl I saw earlier, no wonder I felt like I’d seen her before. It all makes sense now, Ben gave her water. Ben, Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order gave a slave girl water. It’s interesting, she’s so much like how I used to be. Rey leaned down to the girl’s level.

The girl shied away at Rey’s movement, mildly afraid of the masked figure’s appearance.

“Don’t be afraid,” Rey spoke. “You don’t know who I am, but I know who you are.”

“What?”

“Believe it or not, I was just like you. Young and a piece of property. Don’t be afraid to leave or break free. When a door opens for you, go through it! It’ll lead you to glorious lands and worlds. Do you understand?”

The girl nodded, her shoulder-length tentacles bounced with her chin.

“Also, no matter what, don’t give in.”

“To what?”

“Anything, anybody. Don’t do anything you don’t want to do ever. Even if it means you’ll get a meal out of it. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” 

“Alright then, run along. Stay strong little one.” Rey advised the Twi’lek girl.

“Thank you, strangers.” With that the girl ran off, returning to her owner.

Rey feared for the future the girl possibly had ahead of her. Unfortunately, it was probably one very similar to the one she experienced herself.

“You okay?” Ben asked as she returned to his full height.

“Ya.” Rey felt in need of a drink. “Come on, let’s get a drink. I need one right about now.”

Ben didn’t even have time to respond before being pulled into the doors of the cantina.

 

***

 

The cantina was just as crowded as the streets of Celanon. A Bith alien band played tunes in the corner. Smoke hung in the air, emitted from the lungs of many alien species.

The pair walked towards the cement bar, still watching their backs for any potential danger.

“Two green splicers please.” Ben placed ten credits down on the bar.

A moment later two shot glasses were placed on the bar before the couple. A green liquid filled the shot glasses, fading from light to dark within the glass.

Rey and Ben took the glasses and moved to the darkest corner of the cantina. Taking a final glance around the bar, they removed their helmets.

The pair clinked their glasses before taking the shot.

Ben swallowed his smooth drink with ease, Rey choked on hers a little before getting it down.

“Let’s get another.”

“Alright,” Ben said before putting his helmet back on. Having to be masked to have a drink with Rey upset Ben, but he’d still do anything if it meant spending any amount of time with Rey.

The pair headed towards the counter and ordered a new round of drinks.

“A sandy mixer please.” Rey requested.

“I’ll have one as well.” Ben had never had a sandy mixer, but he was excited to try whatever it was that Rey enjoyed.

The bartender pulled the cheapest liqueurs from the shelves and started mixing them. Ooph, this is going to be interesting. Ben thought.

The bartender continued mixing together different liquids, he finished the drinks off with a tan juice. The juice mixed with the alcohol in a unique way, the drink separated into a tan bottom and a lavender top with a hazy blue middle.

“Only the poor on desert planets drink these. Don’t know where you’re from love, but I’m assuming somewhere out by Jakku.” The bartender handed them the drinks as he directed his comment towards an annoyed, masked Rey.

Ben placed ten more credits on the bar, knowing the drinks were probably worth mere cents.

“Thank you.”

The pair headed back to their corner and removed their helmets once again. They sat on the floor against the wall in a shadow cast by the bar. The cantina was already dimly lit, so it was nearly impossible for Rey and Ben to be seen.

“So, tell me about this drink.” Ben lifted the glass and peered at the liquid notably confused by the heterogeneous mixture.

“It’s something we used to drink back on Jakku. As I’m sure you saw, it’s made with the cheapest alcohol available… but it represents home. Or, my old home.”

Rey took a sip, appreciating the cheap drink. She closed her eyes and leaned against Ben’s strong shoulder as she swallowed the tingly liquid.

Ben took a glance at Rey’s reminiscent face and took a sip of his own sandy mixture. He swallowed, appreciating their closeness. 

“Wow,” Ben choked. “I mean, it’s not bad…”

“It’s not good either.” Rey resolutely interrupted. A smile cemented itself across her face, reaching her beaming eyes.

Ben took another sip, leaning into Rey. “You know, I’m getting used to it.”

The couple sat in silence appreciating each other’s company as they took the cantina in.

“I’ve never heard such beautiful music.” Rey finally spoke.

“Oh, you mean the cantina band?”

Rey nodded. “The only music I ever heard on Jakku was always in the presence of bad people.”

“There’s so much beauty in the galaxy Rey. So much for you to experience. Tell me, what was Jakku like?”

Ben had done research on Jakku since his meeting Rey. He wanted to know about her planet, her home. His research had come up as dry as the sands that inhabit the planet, it was nothing special.

Jakku was a desert planet inhabited by scavengers and people indebted to Unkar Plutt. Nimaa Outpost was the only major ‘city’, if you could even call it that, on the planet. The planet was host to the Battle of Jakku which eventually lead to a multitude of Imperial Debris that still littered the planet, waiting to be scavenged.

“There’s nothing to say about Jakku. It’s a desert planet, covered in old star destroyers and AT-ATs. It’s got a few scattered villages but nothing special or significant. Everyone there is indebted to someone, that or they’re owned. Rarely do ‘tourists’ come for a visit.” Rey relayed.

“I mean tell me about your experience.”

“You know everything. I was sold as a child. Forced to work for Unkar and scavenge for him. Only when I was thirteen did I break away from him. From then I worked to survive, scavenging not because I was told to but because my payment for my finds resulted in my eating something.”

“What prompted your breaking away from Plutt at thirteen?”

Ben looked down at Rey and where she was positioned against his arm. He felt sick to his stomach on her behalf.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me.”

“No no, it’s okay. I just, don’t know how to put it into words.”

“You can show me if you’d like.”

“Okay, but brace yourself…it’s a lot.” Rey sat up from Ben’s arm and moved to face him. She reached her hand up to his temple and proceeded to show him her least favorite memory. A memory she locked in the darkest chambers of her mind and threw away the key to.

_A young Rey sat in Unkar Plutt’s shack. She watched him hand out portions as she sorted the findings Plutt bought from the scavengers._

_Rey’s light clothing clung to her changing body in awkward ways; her buns bounced as she moved around the hut, sorting and stacking._

_The heat of the day had finally broken and the line for portions grew increasingly shorter._

_All of the scavenges had been sorted and stacked. Plutt gave Rey her dinner portions with a hungry look on his face and Rey skipped outside of the shack._

_The air was cool against her skin as Rey walked to sit on one of the workbenches outside Plutt’s hut. She ate her dinner and drank her water as she gazed over the desert horizon. Dark purples mixed with dark blue and vibrant orange. Sunset, Rey’s favorite time of day._

_She daydreamed about what it would be like to leave this place right now. She thought about the boy she saw in her dreams, the one in the tan clothes with the metal stick on his belt. The one who was tall and gangly… and cute. Rey imagined her parents coming back for her, excited to be reunited. They’d give her a hug and walk off into the sunset together. Or maybe they’d fly away on a ship and travel uncharted star systems. Rey wondered if sunsets looked the same on every planet, or if Jakku’s sunsets were just special. She looked off into the sunset dreaming of a life other than the one she was forced to live._

_After eating her portions, Rey walked back to Plutt’s hut._

_Plutt had closed the shutters and wrapped up shop for the night._

_Rey walked through the door of his hut and sat on her makeshift bed. A dirty tarp and a straw pillow lay beneath Rey’s exhausted body. Rey grabbed some stolen parts and added them to a staff she’d been constructing. She didn’t need protection because she was owned by Plutt and everyone knew not to touch her, but she enjoyed the task._

_Rey went to sleep in her underthings and light sleepshirt. She was getting to the age to where constructing a breast band was necessary, only Rey didn’t have the material to do so. Plutt never allowed her any extra material either, making the task nearly impossible._

_Rey was awoken by the sound of Plutt’s heavy breathing emerging from the corner of the hut. Rey stirred, fearing she had overslept. Plutt always slept in his quarters which were removed from the hut so if he was back in his shop it meant she had overslept._

_Rey suddenly had the feeling Plutt was uncomfortably close and his thoughts were not pleasant ones._

_Rey shot awake to find Plutt leering over her makeshift bed and the light within the hut was still dark. Day had not dawned, midnight was still upon them._

_He reached his slimy hands towards her. Rey moved to kick Plutt away but that only urged him to grab her ankle._

_“Don’t move girl. You’re mine and you will act as though you’re mine.”_

_“No! What are you doing!?” Rey screamed, shaky fear riddled her voice._

_Plutt maintained his grasp on Rey’s ankle and pulled her closer to him._

_“Come here, girl.” Plutt moved his other hand to the collar of Rey’s loose sleep shirt and tugged. The shirt ripped and Plutt let out a satisfied sigh. “Ahh, there they are. Look at those gorgeous little things. Perfect, glad I bought you early. I know I’m the only one to ever touch you.” Plutt continued holding Rey in his painfully tight grasp as he moved his other slimy and towards Rey’s chest._

_Rey squirmed to her best ability but it was no use, she couldn’t escape him. Plutt moved his hand that gripped her ankle to her hip for leverage._

_Rey panted as she fought back. Her already bruised ankle throbbed._

_“Look at that girl, already panting for your master.”_

_“Fuck you!” Rey kicked Plutt in the nose and he released his grasp on her to attend to his broken nose._

_Rey took her opportunity for escape. She got on all fours and started up to a standing position before making an attempt at escape._

_Just before Rey picked up speed, she felt a large hand tighten around her wrist, the other grabbed the ripped shirt and completely tore it from her body._

_“You’re not going to get away so easily. You seem like you like it rough... huh girl.” Plutt pushed Rey to the dirty ground of the Hutt. He smashed her face into the ground as he fought to take off her underwear. Plutt groped and poked Rey as she felt hopeless on the floor of the hut._

_In this moment Rey had the realization that if she didn’t fight back now, she was going to get raped here, on this very floor._

_Plutt removed Rey’s underwear as she caught sight of her makeshift staff peeking out from under the covers of her bed._

_She mustered all her strength and reached for it._

_In that moment, laying on the floor of Plutt’s hut, Rey decided she would never be taken advantage of. Her body was her temple, and only she would decide what happened to it._

_Plutt continued smoothing his hands over the developing curves of Rey’s young body as Rey tightened her grip on her staff. Before Plutt could recognize what was happening, Rey was delivering a powerful blow to his head with her staff, rendering him unconscious._

_Rey gathered her strength to get to her feet. She supported herself on her staff._

_Naked and afraid, Rey knew she had to leave Plutt’s hut now. She delivered a few more blows to Plutt’s unconscious body ensuring he’d hurt as much as she did. Her pain was emotional, his would be physical._

_Rey gathered her things and stole some portions before heading towards Plutt’s personal ship graveyard. A ship called the Millennium Falcon, a new arrival was parked on the sand beside Nimaa Outpost. Rey figured the ship might have something she could scavenge for makeshift clothing._

_Rey walked aboard the Falcon and found herself in the old ship’s sleeping quarters. Rey found the captain’s quarters but decided to move past them. Instead, she made her way towards a small cupboard in the wall. Within the cupboard, Rey found a small cot with white sheets. She laid down and wrapped herself in the sheets, hiding from her past. Hiding from the shadows lurking in her mind, old and new. The bed smelled like a teenage boy but she didn’t care. The scent, though somewhat unpleasant, smelt vaguely of wood and fresh air. Rey didn’t know how she knew the smell recognition, but that’s how her brain categorized it. The smell was comforting, and Rey laid down to rest._

_She hugged her staff and drifted off into a sleep, haunted by nightmares._

_The next morning Rey gathered her staff and doll and rested them beside the bed in the Falcon. She stole some of the sheets and made a makeshift outfit. It was a little baggy here or there but she would grow into it. She also crafted a breast band and some drapey accessories that would hide her figure. She synched it all with a belt and departed the Falcon in the early hours of the morning._

_Rey stole a cruiser from Plutt before driving in search of a home, a hiding place. She came across a deserted and scavenged AT-AT and decided that it would work as her new residence._

Rey removed her hand from Ben’s temple and opened her wet eyes. She was shocked to find that Ben was crying too.

“I had no idea he tried to rape you, Rey, I’m so sorry. He deserves to die.”

“I know,” Rey said resolutely.

“Did he ever try to pull anything over on you again?”

“Not directly, after I messed up his nose he was more distant. Once I started scavenging for him, he started to allot me minimal portions in an effort to starve me to seduction. I’d eat no more than a quarter meal a day. It was like that for six years.”

Ben, still crying, pulled Rey into a tight hug.

“Is this okay?”

“Everything you do with me is okay Ben,” Rey said into Ben’s chest.

Ben nodded against Rey’s head and soaked in her smell.

“It’s sweet that you used my old bed to make yourself new clothes. I’m glad I was able to help you with something before I even met you.”

“Thank you for the sheets,” Rey responded lightheartedly.

“Haha, anytime.”

Rey pulled away and took another sip of her desert mixer before returning to leaning into Ben’s shoulder.

Suddenly, Ben felt danger stirring in the air.

“Rey?”

“Yes, Ben?” Rey said peacefully.

“I think we should put our helmets back on and move cautiously towards the door.”

“What?”

“See that group of people over there?”

Rey followed Ben’s gaze to a clump of bounty hunters positioned near the band.

“Yes…”

“I think they’re slavers. You know? Force slavers.”

“Leia mentioned something about them being a rampant issue here.”

“Well, we were stupid to share a memory in a public space like a cantina. I should’ve known better! Kriff, on top of that we’re completely exposed and my face is in full view.”

“Oh god.” Rey felt like she was going to throw up. She grabbed her helmet and placed it over her frizzy braid. Ben did the same.

“Alright,” Ben grabbed Rey’s staff and carefully handed to her. “Let’s go.”

Ben and Rey moved towards the door of the cantina carefully and with purpose. They felt multiple eyes following them like predators as they made their way through the cantina.

The music played on while the drama intensified.

The cantina was less crowded than it had been previously. Night was falling. Rey’s watch read 4:00. On such a polluted planet, darkness fell quickly. People had begun retiring to their homes, seeking safety from the hunters of the night.

Rey and Ben made their way to the door, feeling like they were being followed by the pack of hunters and slavers. They didn’t dare check over their shoulders and blow their covers. Rey’s grip on her staff was tighter than ever before as she made her way out of the door.

Ben followed Rey outside and the pair let out a sigh of relief once they had fully surfaced from the cantina.

A sigh to soon released.

The cantina door slid open seconds after Rey and Ben had closed it behind them. The pair twirled to face the group emerging from the cantina.

Masked men with raised blasters. Never a good sign.

Ben moved his hand to his saber, careful not to blow their cover just yet. They still had a chance to talk themselves out of any predicament that may arise, or so Ben thought.

Rey registered the sound of footsteps emerging from the dark shadows that encircled them.

They were surrounded.

A bounty hunter in an all-black suit spoke first. “Force users huh? Disguised in knock-off bounty hunter costumes. Hah, and you, dressed as the not so mighty Boushh. We see through the jackets. Your small tits give you away in an instant.” The black-suited, masked hunter looked Rey up and down.

Ben wanted to explode. _No one talks to Rey like that and gets away with it. Hell, no one looks at her like that except me!_

The black-suited hunter spoke again, this time turning his attention towards Ben. “Now you’re a tall and broad fella. Hmm, I’ve been trying to figure this whole thing out. We couldn’t get a good look at either of your faces earlier but I’ve got a theory… you’re both people of importance.”

A bounty hunter in camouflage colors spoke up, “Heard some First Order star destroyers were seen dropping out of hyperspace no more than an hour from here up the Hydian Way. You think it’s possible they’re with them?”

“Definitely possible.” Another hunter spoke up.

“Don’t care who they’re with. I know I want her.” Someone in robes declared from the back of the group. “She’s got Force abilities and good tits. She will serve me well.”

“What’s in it for us if we let you have her?” A robot with a gun asked.

“I will pay you all well, enough credits to last you a year in an environment such as this.”

Rey stood in fear and silence as she was being auctioned off. Ben didn’t know how to react, he had a plan in his mind but it would be easier to execute if Rey had a lightsaber as well. He didn’t care.

“She’s not for sale!” Ben seethed.

“Of course she is, she’s a Force-sensitive woman. She’s good for nothing other than sex and Force slavery.” The slaver responded.

“Don’t talk about her that way!” Ben had lost it, he removed his saber from his jacket and ignited it with anger.

“Ben!” Rey screamed but it was too late, the saber was ignited and his cover was blown.

“Holy shit! It’s the Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren!”

Suddenly all the guns were raised on the couple.

“What’s the Supreme Leader doing here with a fanny pack parading around Celanon with some Force sensitive slut?”

“Don’t talk to her like that.”

“Oh shit guys,” A hunter spoke up, “I think our Supreme Leader is having a secret affair. It all makes sense why they’d be here together and in their crappy disguises.”

“Yup, so new plan, she dies and well… so does he because why not.”

The bounty hunters fired their blasters but Ben opened himself back up to the Force. Channeling the planet’s loud energy, he deflected all the blaster bolts to their original firing location. Half the group dropped dead immediately. The other half continued firing, and Ben used all his energy to deflect the newly released bolts.

Rey moved towards the slaver and knocked him unconscious with her staff. Slaver scum just like Plutt.

Ben continued deflecting bolts from both him and Rey using a combination of the Force and his saber as their defenses.

Soon everyone in the crowd were left unconscious or deceased.

“Should we finish the unconscious one’s off?” Ben asked.

“I think we have to, they know your identity and know you were here with a woman. It’s all over if anyone else finds out.”

“You’re right, but killing them is not the Jedi way you know.”

“It’s probably not, but I’m not a Jedi. I’m just trying to protect us.” Rey said as she pulled her gun from her holster and fired at an unconscious bounty hunter.

Rey and Ben moved through the crowd finishing hunter and slaver after hunter and slaver off.

Once the loose ends were wrapped up, the pair headed for their ship’s hangers. Ben walked Rey to hers, ensuring she’d arrive safely.

“That really is a piece of crap x-wing,” Ben said, examining the ship. “Ya, I still can’t believe you took an x-wing here.”

“Me too, after everything we’ve experienced today.”

“Alright well I guess I’m good, just gotta do my pre-flight checklist.”

“I don’t mind waiting.”

“If you insist.”

Rey began her pre-flight checklist. Everything was good until she realized she didn’t have enough fuel for the trip back given the added weight of the fabric and material she was supposed to be transporting.

“Kriff.” Rey exhaled, embarrassed for forgetting to properly plan ahead.

“What?” Ben placed his hands on his hips, knowing exactly what Rey didn’t plan for.

“You know, don’t you.”

“Yup, you didn’t account for the added weight of the material and how fuel consumption is going to be increased to accommodate said weight. Why do you think I hung around, to watch you work?”

“I guess. Dammit, quit rubbing it in you goof. Do you have time to drop me off?”

“Sure, come on let’s go, grab the crates of material and we’ll drag them with the Force.”

“I don’t think we’re supposed to use the Force like that.”

“There’s a lot of things we’re not supposed to do, but we do anyway. Come on.”

Rey and Ben headed off towards his hanger. When they arrived at his ship they loaded the crates and boarded the two-person freighter.

“Finally able to take this mask off,” Rey said, settling into her gunner seat.

“Finally,” Ben repeated.

Ben and Rey worked together to complete the preflight checklist. Everything checked off.

 

***

 

The pair flew through lightspeed with the window dimmers on. Lightspeed made both of them green.

On the flight, they talked about their hopes and dreams for the future. Ben specifically tried to avoid talking about Jakku, he was still processing the memory Rey had shared and wanted to avoid pushing her boundaries.

They dropped out of lightspeed and Rey felt sad to have to say goodbye to Ben. She’d had so much fun with him and didn’t want it to end.

Ben landed the ship near Rey’s meditation temples so as to avoid questions and interrogations from the Resistance.

“I don’t know when we’ll see each other again.”

“Soon Rey, remember what El said? It’ll be very soon.”

“I can’t wait that long.”

Rey wrapped her arms around Ben’s neck and stood on her toes to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her small waist and returned the gesture.

“Rey, I’m sorry for how poorly the hunters and slavers were talking about you earlier.”

“Don’t be, I’m used to it.”

“No, it’s not okay. No one can ever talk to you like that. When you told the Twi’lek girl to never give in to anyone even if it means it’ll give her a meal, were you thinking about Jakku?” Ben had promised himself he wasn’t going to press her, but he felt like he had to satisfy this one curiosity.

“Yes, I told you about what Unkar Plutt did and tried to do many times… but he wasn’t the only one. Once every local knew I was no longer under Plutt’s grasp, they took their shots. Sometimes they’d offer to pay me, others they’d just offer food. It was common and I considered it, a lot. Often, especially in recent times, I almost gave in. Eating a total of two meals a week takes its toll. If I had never run into Finn, I probably would’ve given into all those disgusting men. I just wanted the little girl to know that it will get better and not to give in.”

“Wow, Rey, that’s powerful. Your words, so strong… you’re so strong.”

“Thank you, Ben.”

“Rey, I know you have to go but I have to say something.”

“Yes, Ben?”

“I-I” _I love you_. Ben thought, feeling too chicken to speak it.

“I love you too Ben.” Rey blushed. She’d said it, she admitted to loving him.

Ben broke into a smile as he gave Rey a soft, gentle kiss.

Rey gave Ben a parting hug, she wanted these moments with him to last for an eternity. But time goes on and it was time for him to leave.

“Bye.”

“Goodbye Rey, oh and please take this.”

Ben handed her the bag holding the peanut butter and chocolate.

“But Be-“

“I’m leaving you with the milk chocolate and one of the two jars of peanut butter. Please, enjoy them.”

“Thank you. I can’t wait to see you again.”

“Me too, remember, we still have the Force bond.”

Rey nodded, “Bye again.” Rey gave an awkward wave.

Ben returned the wave with a giddy smile, “Bye Rey.”

He watched her walk down the ramp of his ship. She was Force-floating the material crates and Ben couldn’t conceal his thoughts. _Gorgeous._

Ben took off towards Yavin VIII and Rey walked back towards the base.

She couldn’t wait to hear all about Poe’s meeting and indulge in some more peanut butter and chocolate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, next one will be up as soon as I write it. ;P


	10. Appointments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey has an appointment with Dr. Kalonia to make sure she's in good health after her grueling childhood on Jakku. Kylo Ren has a meeting with his Knights for the first time since before the destruction of Starkiller and things don't necessarily go as planned...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long one but it gets exciting, trust me. ;)

Rey entered the hanger bay of the Rebel base with tired legs.

Carrying the crates from her meditation temple had worn her out and she desperately needed rest.

Rey dropped the crates near where her x-wing had been originally parked. _Crap, one less x-wing. It was perfectly good too, now it’s just laying abandoned in some docking hanger on Celanon. Poe’s going to be so mad, what am I going to tell everyone? How do I explain making it back from Celanon without a ship? Time to get creative…_ Rey thought.

Rey walked back to her quarters slowly, her feet dragging with every heavy step she took.

Night had fallen and the base was relatively quiet given that everyone was enjoying dinner.

Rey opened the door to her room and tossed her staff on her bed. She slipped her threadbare shoes off her tired feet as she plopped herself on her bed. She cozied up beside her worn staff.

Rey hadn’t bothered to close the door to her room and in her tired state didn’t care if someone walked by and found her half asleep in a smelly bounty hunters costume.

Rey hugged her pillow, thinking over the day she’d just experienced. She glanced at the grocery bag lying beside her helmet on the floor of her room with heavy eyes. Rey reminisced about the beautiful moments she’d shared with Ben.

Her Ben.

She could still taste his kiss on her lips, smell his hug, feel his love. Though the time felt brief, it provided her with enough happy memories to last a lifetime. Sure, some moments on Celanon weren’t so pleasant, but Rey felt like she had direction in her life once again. The broken compass in her mind was pointed towards her future, finally set straight. Rey knew she had to return to Jakku. She had to face her past, discover the truth, and move into the future.

Rey was drifting off to an early sleep when she heard a knock on her doorframe.

“Rey?” Rey immediately recognized the friendly voice. _Finn_.

Rey sat up from her bed wiping her tired eyes with heavy arms. She swung her exhausted limbs over the side of her bed and regained her vertical balance.

“Hi, Fin.” Rey looked blurry-eyed at the familiar presence.

“Sorry, did I wake you? Is now not a good time?”

“No, no it’s fine. What’s up?”

Finn walked towards Rey and embraced her in a friendly hug. He’d missed her and had been so busy balancing the Resistance and Rose.

“Nothing really. I’ve just been so busy and wanted to catch up before you head off to your doctor’s appointment.”

“Oh right, darn I forgot I had that. Thanks for the reminder.”

“No problem, remember the appointment is nothing to stress over. Just a routine checkup.”

“I’ve never been to a doctor before. Sure hope they’re nice.”

“They’re awesome. Anyways, how was Celanon?”

“It was good. Uneventful. Is Poe back yet?”

“Not yet, he shouldn’t be back till later.”

Rey nodded her busy mind, centering her tired self once again.

“Hey, Rey? Cut the crap okay. Tell me how Celanon _really_ was.” Finn said far too bluntly.

“There’s nothing to tell. I entered the planet’s atmosphere and parked in my designated hanger. From there, I went to the market and bought the material. Then I came home.”

“If that’s the case then why are you carrying the slight smell of alcohol?” Finn glanced around the room. “And… where did you get that bag?” Finn pointed to the grocery bag Ben had given Rey.

“Uhh,” Rey stuttered. “I-I, someone threw up on me.” _You idiot, he’s never going to believe that! Why would someone throw up on you and leave you looking clean?_ Rey thought.

“Someone threw up on you?... And that’s why you smell like alcohol? If that was the case wouldn’t you smell like vomit?”

Rey fell ashamed, she hated lying to Finn.

“Rey, I don’t like that you’re lying to me. I would’ve understood if you had just said you grabbed a drink from some bar.”

“But then you would’ve figured out that I didn’t have enough credits to afford one.”

“You’re right, what’s in the bag Rey?”

Rey thought fast trying to deter Finn, “Female things.”

“Stop lying to me, Rey.” Finn was getting increasingly angry with Rey. She repeatedly kept lying to him and had no explanation for her actions. Finn didn’t understand Rey anymore, she had so many secrets. Finn wondered what Rey could possibly be hiding from him that was so major she couldn’t say it aloud. He also wondered what had happened on the _Supremacy_ and how Rey suddenly had a huge bounty on her head for killing Snoke. Finn had so many questions for Rey but he continued to keep his mouth shut. He loved and respected Rey too much to pressure her into releasing private secrets, especially if she had reason to hide them in the first place.

“I’m sorry for lying to you Finn, but there are some things you just wouldn’t understand.”

“I’m sure I have a pretty good idea what’s been going on here and I would understand but whatever Rey. Hope you had fun galivanting around Celanon. See you later.” With that, Finn turned and left Rey alone in her room. He was too disappointed in her secrecy to care.

Down the line, Finn would regret being so rude to Rey and Rey would regret keeping what she kept secret private. That didn’t matter now, all that mattered now was how disloyal Finn felt Rey was being.

 

***

 

Rey managed to make her way to the med bay.

She was greeted by a friendly woman with short brown hair.

“Hello, Rey. I’m Dr. Kalonia, but you can call me Harter.”

“Uh, Hi Dr. Harter.”

“Well, follow me in here and I’ll get the medical droid scanning you as soon as possible.”

Rey followed Dr. Kalonia into a white room. The room had stone floors, like the rest of the base, and a makeshift patient bed in the middle of it. Ancient medical equipment decorated the room but Rey didn’t recognize it as anything other than medical equipment. The outdated facility was nicer than anything she’d ever experienced before and that made Rey feel cared for, even if she hadn’t technically received care yet. Knowing that care was available was comforting.

“Alright, sit here Rey and put this on, please. I know the General’s old costume might be comfier, but the medical gown will allow us to run the tests with increased ease.”

“Thanks.” Rey examined the medical gown. It was ugly, all white and felt like paper.

“I’ll give you your privacy and will be back in just a moment with 2MED2. When I return we’ll start running the scans and tests to make sure you’re healthy.” Dr. Kalonia left Rey alone in the sterile room and Rey felt a sudden wave of anxiety. What if she found out she was ill? Or dying? What if she didn’t know it, but she’d been poisoned as a child and it meant she had two months to live?

Rey undressed from Leia’s costume and pulled the medical gown over her head. She left her arm wraps on out of habit. She rarely, if ever, took them off.

Rey sat on the end of the medical bed and awaited Dr. Kalonia’s return.

After a moment, she returned and greeted Rey with a friendly smile. This time she was accompanied by a medical droid, as promised.

“Alright Rey, this is 2MED2. We call him MED for short. Sort of has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

“It does, hi MED.” Rey waved at the blue droid.

“Hello patient 739, how are you feeling?” The droid responded.

“Good for the most part.”

“Rey, I need you to remove your arm wraps. You can only wear the provided gown.”

“Do I have to?” Rey asked Dr. Kalonia.

“Yes, sorry hun.”

Rey slowly unwrapped her arm bindings revealing a variety of scars beneath them.

The medical droid inspected Rey’s scars, “Burn scars mostly. Many of which were caused by sun exposure over extended periods of time. Several appear to have been caused but hot metal to skin contact as well. Some of these are from deeper cuts, also caused mostly by shrapnel.”

Rey nodded, “Jakku was a harsh place. The hot sun would give not just sunburns but it would heat the ship metal I would be scavenging leaving a different kind of burn. The sunburns were always more painful though, especially when they’d blister.”

“Don’t be embarrassed from your scars Rey,” Dr. Kalonia said. “They’ve healed nicely and pose no reason for further inspection in our minds. Now, onto your general health background questions. You grew up on Jakku, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Did you receive regular meals during your years of development? What I’m trying to ask is: was it just in recent months that your food consumption declined?”

“I never ate regular meals. A quarter portion a day if I was lucky. It was like that for as long as I can remember.”

“I see, that may have affected your development a bit. When did you last bleed?”

“Uhh…”

“That long?”

“No, I errr… I never did.”

“You never bled.”

“That’s correct. I spotted occasionally but I never bled more than that.”

“Probably caused by the dehydration and undernourishment. Well, since you’ve been eating regularly in the last month you should be expecting your cycle to start up soon.”

“How do I know it’s coming?”

“Some feel cramps, experience cravings, headaches, and or mood swings. When the time comes come by the med bay and we can provide you with the proper supplies to keep clean. When MED runs your scans, we might be able to estimate when you can expect your next cycle.”

Rey nodded in understanding.

“Did you fall ill often on Jakku? Potentially after drinking some bad water?”

“No, I only fell ill once when I was thirteen. I had been exposed to the first rain of my life and got a cold.”

“Alright, well it sounds like you’re perfectly healthy and in good shape for the most part. Your BMI isn’t ideal but that’ll change in time as you adjust to eating regularly. Now, I’ll leave MED to scan you and I’ll be back soon. Just have another patient to check up on. Oh, almost forgot to ask, how old are you?”

“Um, I don’t really know but I think I’m around nineteen or twenty.”

“No worries, people not knowing their age is more common than you’d think around here. When we scan you, we’ll check for that as well. I’ll be right back after I check on my other patient.

“Thank you,” Rey responded.

Dr. Kalonia stepped outside the room leaving Rey alone with the medical droid. Rey was sitting still for the droid to scan her.

Out of boredom, Rey reached out with the Force to see if she could overhear the conversation happening in the next room.

She couldn’t hear the conversation in the physical sense, but she recognized the Force energies present in the room as Dr. Kalonia and Leia.

 _That’s strange, I wonder what Leia’s doing in the MED bay_.

“Scan complete,” MED said before walking off.

Rey stood from the makeshift medical bed and moved towards the wall that separated her room from the neighboring one. She pressed her ear up against it, listening in on the conversation as best as she could. Rey was nosy and would never try to deny it.

The conversation sounded blurry but she could decipher it for the most part.

“Leia, are you still feeling noxious?”

“Often, noxious and lightheaded.”

“I see, it seems the radiation poisoning is affecting you quicker than we’d hoped. Taking a float through space does take its toll.”

“How long do I have? Be honest.”

“Mere months but it’s hard to say exactly.”

“Stop beating around the bush. How long?” Rey heard Leia ask again.

“6 months, best case scenario. I’m sorry my dear friend.”

“Thank you, Harter. I best go lay down and get some rest in my quarters. See you tomorrow.”

Leia sounded sad, as though she’d given up hope.

“Tomorrow.” Dr. Kalonia wrapped up.

Rey leaped back to the end of the med bed and pretended to have been minding her own business when Dr. Kalonia re-entered the room. She was accompanied by MED and wore a fake smile across her face. It was obvious she was trying her best to pretend everything was okay.

“Your scans came back great. For growing up on Jakku, you’re in surprisingly good health. Oh, also you’re nineteen. Happy almost birthday though, you’ll be twenty in a few weeks.”

“Awesome,” Rey felt relief flood her senses but still felt sad for Leia. “Now, I had a question about birth control. I was wondering if, while I’m here, it’d be possible to get the implant.”

“Unfortunately, not right now, you’ll have to wait until after you bleed for the first time. You’re about to enter your first ever ovulation stage so you can be expecting the arrival of cramps over the next few days. Be sure to avoid intercourse, especially over the next few days, until you get the implant or use another proven successful birth control method.”

“Okay.” For reasons Rey didn’t understand, knowing she couldn’t engage in intercourse disappointed her. She’d never had sex before, but knowing it was an option was exciting. Rey recognized that it still was an option but she wasn’t ready to have a child and decided it was best to avoid it all together until she got the implant. 

“Alright, guess that’s all. You’re a perfectly healthy person, eyesight and hearing included.”

“Thank you, Dr. Harter. Have a good day, and well… I’m leaving on a trip tomorrow. Can I have some feminine supplies for the road in case I stay away longer than I plan on?”

“Of course.” Dr. Kalonia walked over toward a drawer and pulled it open.

“Cloth or cup,” she quietly asked herself.

“Where are you planning on going? Will it be dry and hot?”

“One of the places, yes.”

“Cup then,” Dr. Kalonia grabbed a small, clear and flexible cup from the drawer.

“Alright, so this is a menstrual cup. You will simply fold it and plop it right up in you. It will collect everything and at the end of the day you’ll take it out and clean it.”

“Fold and plop. Okay, thanks.” Rey took the cup from Dr. Kalonia and examined it. It looked intimidating and uncomfortable.

“It’s not uncomfortable if you’re wondering. It’s the preferred menstrual product that we have access to around here. It rarely leaks!”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll leave you to get redressed, it was nice meeting you Rey.”

“You too.”

Rey redressed and headed back to her room, cup in tow.

She packed her bag in preparation for tomorrow. She’d be leaving in the morning, on the Falcon, for Jakku.

Rey placed the texts, the broken saber, her Yavin outfit, and her _Supremacy_ outfit within the bag along with some fresh material, the cup, and some stolen portions. Rey dressed in Ben’s sleepshirt and pulled her hair from her day’s braid. Her hair fell and framed her face.

 Rey felt exhausted and ready for sleep but she had an itching need to talk to Leia.

 

***

 

Rey snuck across the hall in Ben’s sleep shirt. The long sleeves covered her childhood scars.

She knocked on the door with the gentlest of taps.

Rey was shocked to find an awake Leia open the door only seconds after knocking.

“Evening Rey. Nice to see you in my son’s old shirt.” Leia said with a wink. Rey tugged at the bottom of the shirt, suddenly wishing she had pants on.

“Don’t act modestly now, I was only joking. Come in Rey, I can sense you need to talk.”

“I do.”

Rey followed Leia into her room and sat on the end of Leia’s bed.

Leia was dressed in her sleeping clothes so she just climbed right back into bed.

“How was Celanon?”

“It was good.”

“Got the material?”

“Yup.”

“Left our x-wing behind huh?”

“Oh, uh.”

“Rey, I don’t care what happened on Celanon. Thank you for picking up the material and making it back safely. I hope the trip was… enlightening.”

“Very much so. Thank you for allowing me to go. Have we heard from Poe?”

“He’s on his way back from Celanon in the morning. We sent him there to entice the daughter of a very powerful senator. She likes a good bad boy and well, Poe fits the mold. We were hoping that we could get them on our side if we got the daughter to support us.”

“And?”

“Well, it seems like it’s working given we haven’t heard from Poe in a while.”

“Guess so…Leia?”

“Spit it out, dear.”

“What’s radiation poisoning?”

“Oh my, you overheard huh?”

Rey nodded sadly.

“After I was shot into space, the radiation in the empty vacuum found its way into my bloodstream. It’s slowly eating away at me.”

“I’m sorry Leia.”

“It’s okay child. I’m old, I’ve lived a good life. I’m still shocked I’ve made it this long. I’m ready to be one with the Force when the time comes, especially now that Han and Luke are gone.”

“What about Ben? You still have him.”

“Yes, but he has you. I’m old and old things die. The young things adapt, evolve. You still have time to enjoy life and will be just fine without me.”

Rey was crying now, feeling guilty for wanting to leave.

“Don’t shed tears for me. Waste little time on the sad things, instead, think of the happy times. I’ve lived a full life. I regret very little, even in my old age.”

Rey allowed Leia’s words an abundant amount of time to soak in before speaking again.

“Can I take the _Falcon_ on a trip?”

“If you can convince Chewie to let you go somewhere without him, then absolutely. Where are you going?”

“Back to Jakku, not for long.” Rey clarified. “There’s just some loose ends I need to wrap up.”

“I understand. Have fun. You leave in the morning?”

“Yes.”

“We will miss you. Make sure you say goodbye to Finn before you leave.”

“I will.”

“Goodnight dear, can’t wait to hear about your adventures when you get back.”

“Goodnight and goodbye Leia.”

Rey embraced Leia in a loving hug. She felt like a daughter to Leia and Leia loved her like one too.

 

***

 

The next morning Rey found herself outside Finn and Rose’s quarters. Her bag was packed with everything and was already on the _Falcon_. She’d even remembered to grab her sheets and Ben’s blanket.

Chewie had been fine with Rey taking the _Falcon_ , he even suggested she take R2.

Chewie found himself feeling lost on the _Falcon_ now that Han was gone. The whole thing felt foreign to him, it was no longer his home.

Rey was back in her Jakku garbs. The light material was comfortable and hugged Rey like an old friend. Her hair was down and free-flowing. She’d already meditated for the day, after skipping yesterday’s meditations all together it felt good to re-enter her routine.

Rey knocked on the door of Finn and Rose’s quarters. A groggy Rose answered the door.

“Hi Rey, well this is unexpected. It’s really early. What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything’s great!” Rey was far too bubbly given the current hour of the day. “I actually came to get that braiding lesson and to say goodbye. I’m going on a little trip and won’t be back for a few weeks.”

“Oh, alright well come in. Finn isn’t up yet but I can still show you how to braid until he rises.”

Over the next half hour, Rose taught Rey how to do both a regular and a French braid. Rey was a fast learner so she picked it up easily.

Her hair was braided up into a crown like it had been yesterday when Finn woke.

“Morning Finn.”

“What are you doing here so early?” Finn asked as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

“I came to say goodbye. I’m going on a trip. I need to return to Jakku, some loose ends I need to tie up.”

“Why does everyone always want to go back to Jakku?” Finn asked jokingly.

Rey smiled at Finn’s joke as she missed the goofy times they shared before things got complicated with lies and guys.

“I’ll miss you both.”

“We’ll miss you too Rey,” Rose said.

“Have a good trip, I can’t wait to hear about it when you get back.”

Rey gave the couple a final hug before departing on her journey. She couldn’t wait to head back to Jakku.

Weird, Jakku was once a place she wanted to leave and never go back but now she wanted to be there. She wanted to feel the harsh sun on her delicate skin, needed to be marked by more freckles and burns. Battle scars from her life there. This time Rey would be there in search of answers instead of waiting for them. This time she’d receive answers about her past.

Rey took off in the Falcon, jumping into hyperspace with ease. She wondered what Ben had been up to as she relaxed in his old room within the Falcon’s cupboard.

 

************************************************************************************************************

 

Kylo landed on the Supremacy about an hour after he dropped Rey off.

He had to wait for the perfect time to slip aboard without anyone noticing. They really needed to increase security on their ships, he found it all too easy to slip aboard.

Hux was on the ground overseeing the harvest of his cactus (aka mucus) water so Kylo was able to return to his newly refurbished quarters without interrogation.

He plopped his tired body on his bed and ordered PAD to bring him his dinner.

PAD arrived moments later with a packaged protein bar and milk.

Kylo ate in disgust, gross. He choked the meal down as he remembered how delectable the peanut butter he shared with Rey was.

“Sir, how was Celanon.”

“PAD, I told you to forget I went there.”

“Sorry sir, wiping memory now.” PAD’s eyes went out for a moment while the memory wipe was taking place.

“Memory wipe successful, I wish I could remember what I wiped. Sounded interesting whatever it was.” PAD shrugged his robotic shoulders.

“Leave me PAD, you’re being annoying.”

“Leaving now sir.” With that, PAD totted off towards his closet.

Kylo stripped to his underwear and let himself drift off to sleep. For the first time in years, sleep came easily for him. After his day with Rey, he was exhausted and needed to stock up on his energy.

 

***

 

Kylo rose up slowly the next morning. _Weird, first dreamless sleep I’ve had in awhile_.

He went about his morning routine, same as always. He worked out, shaved, showered, dressed, and combed his freshly cut hair.

Kylo had a meeting arranged with his knights and couldn’t be late.

Dawning his newly constructed mask, Kylo made his way to the meeting room. The new mask was exactly the same as his other one. Kylo hated with just as much disgust. The only reason he was wearing it was to maintain his image and look brooding.

Kylo knew his face revealed too much emotion.

Emotion, one of Kylo’s greatest weaknesses, one of his greatest strengths.

Unlike some of his knights, Kylo maintained his grasp on his emotions. Not that he was good at controlling them, but that he still had them.

Snoke had fractured each of Kylo’s knight’s minds. Manipulated them so that they’d only be malleable to Kylo and Snoke himself.

 Kylo entered the meeting room with a large presence.

His seven nights kneeled before him. Originally there were twelve knights but over the years some perished in combat, others failed to survive Snoke’s torture and challenges.

Only the strongest knights remained. It had been months since Kylo had met with all of his knights in person; he hadn’t seen any of them since before the destruction of Starkiller base.

“Please rise and remove your helmets,” Kylo commanded.

The knights did as they were instructed, placing their helmets on the table in the meeting room. They laid their weapons beside their helmets. All of their weapons were different variations of sabers and Kyber staffs.

“Sit,” Kylo said, removing his own mask.

All the knights were dressed similarly to Kylo, even the female. Black garbs accompanied by dark cloaks.

“Sick scar Kylo! I-I mean Supreme Leader.” The young brown-haired knight said.

“Kylo is fine, Azazel.”

Azazel was the youngest of the knights, barely eighteen. The other knights always ganged up on him. He was the scapegoat of the group and Kylo’s personal favorite. Barely thirteen on the night of the burning of Luke’s temple, Azazel looked to Kylo for guidance.

“So, Kylo… what are we supposed to be now? Be your unpaid guards?” Asked Timeer. Timeer was the slyest of the knights. Kylo didn’t trust the guy, the only thing on his mind was money.

“You can be whatever you want to be. You’re no longer under Snoke’s rule and I have no need for you so you’re free to live your lives.”

“Bullshit!” Exclaimed Dade, the strongest and ugliest of the knights. His Klatooninian background made his angry face twist and tangle in strange ways.

“I’m with Dade! What the hell Kylo?” Asked Kearney, the only Twi’lek of the group. His yellow face looked like it was on an adventure without a map, lost and in need of guidance.

“I don’t need you to protect me, you’re free to live whatever lives you want to.” Kylo tried to calm the confused knights.

“We’ve been devoted to Snoke’s cause, and yours, for years. Now that Snoke’s out of the picture we’re yours and only yours and you’re essentially letting us go?” The ginger Trory asked trying to see the logic in Kylo’s plan to let them be independent.

“He’s not letting us go, he’s simply giving us the opportunity to choose our own path. Think about it, that’s not something we’ve ever had before.” Gotam responded. Gotam was by far the smartest and most logic-based thinker of the group. Kylo often wondered how he was able to use the Force so well considering how logical and scientific he actually was.

“I like the idea of being on my own. There’s some vacation time I need to catch up on.” A dark-skinned knight named Colt announced to the group. Colt was always more independent and liked being on his own.

“If you want to travel the galaxy you can. I’m just saying, find your place in the galaxy. Live your lives. Return home, become smugglers. I don’t care, I just don’t have a need for you to work for me right now.” Kylo was saying all of this because he really wanted to cut his ties to the First Order and his knights. The closeness her once felt to his knights quickly dissipated after Snoke made his mark on them.

Finally, the female knight of the group spoke for the first time.

“I miss my sister, I want to go back to Corellia and find them,” Pandora said. She was the most stubborn of the knights. She was also the only knight who missed her family, that was always something that got in the way of her Jedi training. She had too many attachments.

Timeer spoke up again, “So you made us come here today to tell us that you have no use for us and we’re basically fired from the ‘Ren’ council.”

“There never was a ‘Ren’ council, you were all simply knights for Snoke and I. I want you all to live your lives. I might sound mushy right now but it’s the truth of it.”

Gotam spoke again having come to a conclusion. “Thank you Kylo. I will use this newfound time to catch up on my research as to how the Force works and discover how the cosmic Force affects our day to day lives.”

“Sounds interesting, good luck. Alright, well that’s all. I’ve got some meetings to attend to. Best be off.” Kylo stood, placing his helmet on his head. He was prepared to leave but the sound of a Kyper Axe igniting made him turn back around.

Kylo found Timeer glaring at him, weapon raised and anger surrounding him.

“This is bullshit Kylo Ren! No, you don’t deserve that name! Ben Solo!” Timeer spit at Kylo.

Kylo ignited his saber, “Don’t you dare call me by that name! That man is dead.”

“Oh really? I think the scavenger slut would say otherwise.”

“How do you-“ Kylo stopped himself before saying too much. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“I think you do. Does Celanon ring any bells? Well, I have eyes everywhere as does Hux. A little money goes a long way in my eyes.”

“What are you talking about?”

The rest of the knights watched the live entertainment with pleasure; a long-awaited interesting fight would be the perfect way to part and go their separate ways. 

“You know very well what I’m talking about. You always were bad at covering your tracks. The throne room… well, I went back and watched the security footage you failed to delete from the hard drive.”

 _Fuck_. The world filled Kylo’s scattered mind a million times over. Thank the maker he was wearing his mask right now; his face was always a dead giveaway of his true emotions.

“Oh, that’s not the only security footage I watched. I also watched the elevator footage with Rey, was it? Hah, you’ve gone soft. Plus, you killed Snoke. Though I’ll admit, I didn’t think you had the balls.”

“What’s your point Timeer?”

“I foresaw you firing me and when the opportunity for money arose, I took it. I followed your dumb ass to Celanon on Hux’s orders. I saw you with your whore girlfriend, also saw you two kill all those hunters and slavers. Bummer you missed eliminating the onlooker, now Hux knows the truth and you are going down.”

“Don’t talk about her like that!” Kylo was fuming, smoke rose from his ears as he charged Timeer.

Timeer blocked Kylo’s attack with his Kyber Axe and laughed at the traitor’s attempt.

“You traitor, you gave us up for some girl. Pathetic.”

“Maybe, but now I’ve given you all the opportunity to be free. Something I so badly want, and you’re the only one who has an issue with it.”

A disturbing laugh filled the room accompanied by heaving footsteps.

_Hux!_

Kylo turned His masked head to look at the ginger villain.

“I knew you did it Supreme Leader. Traitor, you don’t even deserve that title. Solo. That’s the only name you’re allowed anymore. Hope you’re ready to die.”

“Never,” Kylo responded. He knew he’d been caught and was now on the run, but he had six knights on his side.

Up till now, all the knights had been watching the case unfold in silence. Only now did concern show on their faces. The moment Kylo’s secrets were revealed their momentary freedom was stripped away. Because they’d sided with him, they were officially traitors as well.

The knights raised their weapons to Timeer in an effort to allow Kylo to escape. Kylo turned his attention back towards Timeer and broke the contact their weapons had been maintaining. He swung his saber around and spliced through Timeer’s lower leg.

Timeer fell to the floor, screaming in pain. His Kyber Axe laid ignited beside him. Kylo noticed Timeer eyeing it. He kicked the weapon away angrily before Timeer could regain his composure and use it against them.

Kylo and his knights turned their attention to Hux and the troopers who’d accompanied him to the confrontation.

 _Take the troopers down, I don’t care what you do with Hux. I just need to make it out of here and to my ship_. Kylo projected to his knights. They nodded in unison and leaped over Timeer’s crippled body.

The group ran at the troopers who had begun open fire. Blasts erupted around the room, the knights deflected the bolts to the best of their abilities taking down the troopers with ease.

Hux slipped out of the room and ran to the bridge in an attempt to put the base on lockdown. The Knights continued fighting their way out of the meeting room leaving Timeer behind on the ground.

 _Kylo, get to your ship. We’ll be fine here, you just have to make it out. Go!_ Pandora Ren projected.

Kylo nodded as he sprinted for his Tie Silencer. He com’d PAD to prepare his ship and meet him in the hanger bay.

By the time Kylo arrived at his ship, PAD was waiting for him. Kylo jumped in the pilot’s seat. His ship was a short-range fighter but had the ability to travel long distances, a special modification Kylo had added himself if an event such as this was to ever arise.

“PAD! Squeeze in here.” Kylo force lifted PAD into the fighter and squeezed the droid in the space behind his seat. “Shut off.”

“Alright,” PAD responded.

Kylo needed to focus, he didn’t have time to run his preflight checklist so he could only hope everything was okay.

Kylo started the ship as he heard the announcement over the ship’s intercom, “Kylo Ren is no longer your Supreme Leader. There has been a coup and I, General Hux, am now your Supreme Leader. Don’t let the traitor escape.” Kylo could practically feel the spit on Hux’s words as he fired up his ship’s engines.

Too late. Kylo thought as he took off. He jumped into lightspeed from inside the hanger of the Supremacy and left the ship and his old life behind.

He knew the Resistance was on Yavin IV, so he could try finding Rey there?

When Kylo exited lightspeed above Yavin IV he felt for Rey’s Force signature.

 _She’s not here. Where could she be?_ Kylo thought back to his conversations with Rey from the previous day. _Oh, she went back to Jakku_.

Kylo entered Jakku’s coordinates as he slipped back into lightspeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked this one! Next one coming as soon as possible. I'm so excited with where this story is going! Rey and Ben are going to Jakku!!!


	11. Jakku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey returns to Jakku and her old home in search of answers. Rey watches the sunset for the last time as a girl without knowledge or history...

The flight through lightspeed took Rey half a day cycle to complete.

Rey dropped out of lightspeed at her favorite time of day on Jakku, the moments just before sunset. The time of day where the heat had subsided, the breezes were gentle, and the air smelled sweet, ready to be overcome by night.

 She landed the _Falcon_ near her old AT-AT. Rey decided to steer clear of Nimaa, for now, until she had a plan and a way to execute it.

Rey left the Falcon with an uneasiness about her. She felt weird being back on the sands of this desert hellhole.

Her boots trodded through the thick and heavy sands as she walked towards the decrepit AT-AT. Rey walked towards it with certainty that it would’ve been scavenged.

Rey took a deep breath of the still warm desert air, gripping her staff in preparation for anything.

On Jakku, shelter was rare to find and when someone would pass on or leave their home unattended someone else would move in in no time, claiming everything as their own.

After what felt like ages of walking the few hundred feet from the _Falcon_ to her AT-AT, Rey finally reached the hole in the side of the aged metal that she once treated as her door.

Rey knocked her staff on the empty shell, allowing it to ring. She was waiting to see if anyone was home.

When there was no response, Rey knocked again out of respect.

Still no response.

 _Guess nobody’s in_.

Rey popped her head into the hole.

_Wow, it looks untouched, as though I never left it._

 Rey stared in amazement, the ticks that counted her days still haunted the walls of her home. Her hammock still hung in the corner, her desert flower still sat in its vase. Everything was untouched, even the drawer with her stashed credits. Since the age of fourteen, Rey stored away credits she’d stumble across. Over the last five years, she’d only accumulated 17 credits.

Rey entered her AT-AT carefully, she felt as though she was walking through a museum. The things within her old home looked ancient and brittle.

Rey walked past her old shelf, the dishes she’d eaten on the night BB8 rolled through were still unwashed. Her old Rebel helmet and doll still sat on the chair in the corner.

Rey walked over to her hammock and dusted it off before resting her staff against the decorated wall.

Everything was just as she’d left it, everything was still hers but she felt out of place among her things.

These belongings used to be her whole world, but now she’d discovered entire new galaxies and her one little corner of it no longer felt like it was hers.

Rey laid her stiff body into the comforts of her old hammock. It smelled of sand, sweat, distant memories, and bad dreams.

Rey stood from the hammock and decided now would be an appropriate time to catch up on her sunset watching. The heat that plagued Jakku had broken for the day and the winds were calm so the conditions were perfect.

Rey grabbed her goggles and sand poncho before heading outside. She wrapped the poncho over her hair and placed the goggles over her eyes, that were sore from squinting.

Rey walked outside and tucked herself into the sand that brushed up against the outside of her AT-AT.

The warm sand soothed Rey’s legs and she indulged in its calming effects. Rey stared out at the horizon, the sun wouldn’t be setting for about an hour but Rey didn’t care. She enjoyed the familiar horizon all the same.

Time passed and the ball of light was sinking slowly, threatening to disappear altogether.

Blue mixed with purple and vibrant orange, a battle of bold colors that would end with the inescapable darkness of night conquering the light.

The battle of color faded with the sands that appeared beige in the overpowering rich sunlight of the hour.

_Just like the sandy mixer._

Rey thought back to the unique drink she’d shared with Ben only one day before. The previous day had dazzled in Rey’s eyes, despite the depressed planet Celanon was.

 _Ben_. Rey felt his presence suddenly, it was close. _Force bond? No, I don’t feel us connecting. Hmm, that’s strange. I wonder why he feels so near when there are a million stars separating us._

Rey decided she must have just felt his presence as a result of her thinking about him so dearly.

Rey continued to indulge in the intoxicatingly beautiful sunset Jakku was offering that night. She enjoyed it until the last bit of light disappeared beyond the horizon.

Rey wondered if she chased the horizon, how long the sunset would continue for.

After some time, Rey stood up and dusted the sand from her clothes. She headed inside and removed her headscarf and goggles. Ordinarily, Rey didn’t keep such things on to watch the sunsets on Jakku but tonight the winds were a little stronger than normal and Rey didn’t want to get sand in her eyes.

Rey slipped back into her hammock, deciding to spend the night in her old home instead of the _Falcon_.

As much as she loved the _Falcon_ , Rey wanted to get a night of sleep breathing fresh air.

The gentle swing of her hammock lulled her into a gentle sleep.

 

***

 

Rey woke to a crushing pain and a lack of breath. She felt a tickle climb its way up her back and Rey realized what was happening.

She struggled to escape the weight of Ben, but the confines of her hammock prevented her from doing so successfully.

“Be-Ben!” Rey cried out.

Ben shot awake and jolted up. He looked like he’d hit his head on a low ceiling when he stood. Ben’s sudden movements threw Rey from her hammock and she found herself on the sandy floor of her decrepit home.

“Oh! Rey are you okay?” Ben leaned down to the flattened Rey rubbing his sore head.

“Ya, you were crushing me in my sleep though.”

“I swear it wasn’t intentional.” Ben looked disheveled.

“No need to swear on it, I know it wasn’t. We can’t control it.”

“Maybe someday we’ll be able to.”

“Maybe,” Rey added. “Ben, where the hell are you?”

“In my _Tie Silencer_.”

“You were asleep in your _Tie Silencer_? What’s wrong with your bed.”

“I sort of don’t have access to it right now.”

“Wha- “

“Long story, I’ll tell you when I see you in person.” Ben interrupted. “Where are you?”

“I’m in my old AT-AT on Jakku. I came here in search of answers.”

“I knew it.”

“What? Ben, where are you again?”

“Parked a quarter mile outside Nimaa.”

“What!”

“Uh, ya.”

“Ben, you’re two miles from me! No wonder I felt you near!”

“Rey, how do I get to your house from Nimaa?”

“Once you’re at Nimaa’s center, head west two miles and you’re here.”

“Be there in three minutes.”

“Okay.” The bond concluded itself before Rey could finish her response.

Ben would be at Rey’s AT-AT in minutes and she looked like something the cat dragged in!

Rey ran to what used to be her mirror, a piece of broken glass she’d found a few years prior. She glanced at herself in the broken glass… _gross_ she thought. Rey tried straightening her messy hair out and adjusting her tunics in a flattering way. _It’s useless, I look vomitus._

 

***

 

Ben landed his _Tie Silencer_ beside where Rey had landed the _Falcon_. Finding Rey’s AT-AT would’ve been difficult if it weren’t for the huge ass freighter ship that Ben could see from a mile away.

Ben climbed his way out of his ship, stepping on PAD for leverage. Had PAD been awake, Ben knew he would’ve been yelling at him for denting his shoulder. PAD was funny like that. No emotions, but a little messed up programming goes a long way.

Ben leaped from the top of his Silencer into the cool sands of Jakku. The air was still mildly warm from the day’s heat but a cool breeze had moved in and was silently exterminating the remaining warmth.

Ben made his way towards Rey’s dark AT-AT. Trudging through the heavy dessert sands, Ben realized he looked like a mess and was going to be seeing Rey in person.

Ben knocked on the outside of Rey’s AT-AT, apprehensive of what she’d think of his bedhead.

“Come in.”

Ben’s head popped inside of Rey’s home, eager to get a look at her lovely features. His body followed shortly after.

“Wow, you look…” Ben gazed warmly at Rey’s ruffled state. _Beautiful_. Ben finished in his thoughts.

Rey blushed, “I look like a mess.”

“No, you look amazing.”

“Well thank you.”

Ben realized he was standing what might as well have been miles away from Rey, he moved towards her slowly. She moved towards him as well, both of them excited to finally be in each other’s presence in peace.

The pair embraced in a gentle hug, Ben kissed Rey’s sandy hair without a care in the world.

“Rey,”

“Hm?”

“We’re free.”

“Wow, we are. Well, for now at least.”

Ben nodded against Rey’s head. It’d been only a day since they’d been in each other’s company, but it felt like it’d been centuries.

He had so much to tell her, so much to share but it could wait until the morning.

Rey pulled away from Ben’s warmth, looking at what was once her home.

“I know it’s not much but this was once home.”

Ben glanced around the lived in AT-AT.

Piles of sand littered the ground. Trinkets were scattered among dirty dishes and rags. Thousands of tick marks decorate the walls, noticeable even in the moonlight. Hauntingly beautiful.

“Are you tired?” Ben asked Rey.

“Kind of, but if you want to stay up and talk we can.”

“No. Let’s get rest. There’ll be plenty of time to talk in the morning.”

“Okay, well do you want to sleep in the _Falcon?_ There’s the couch in there and of course your old room.”

“I was wondering if I could join you in here?”

“Sure,” Rey liked the idea of sleeping in the same space as Ben. She loved feeling encompassed by the warmth of his body. “The hammock’s a little small but we can make it work.”

Ben climbed into the hammock, though Rey hadn’t slept in it since she’d left Jakku, her smell still lingered.

“Are you going to join me in here or are you going to sleep standing up over there?”

“Of course I’m joining you!” Rey practically leaped on top of Ben. The pair adjusted themselves within the worn hammock until they found comfort. Ben hugged Rey as they drifted off to sleep, keeping each other warm in the coolness of the night.

Rey and Ben had never slept in the company of another person but they both enjoyed it. For the first time in years, the nightmares failed to invade their minds. Sleep came easily as their breathing remained slow and practiced.

 

***

 

The pair rose slowly the next morning.

Ben woke first, as the sun was releasing its first rays of light welcoming the new day. He didn’t dare wake Rey. Instead, he watched her sleep, savoring every moment as though just the image of her was an expensive wine. He took every piece of her in slowly, counting the freckles that peppered her cheeks and taking notice of the way her eyelashes fluttered in the moments before she regained consciousness.

He was reminded of the way she looked when he had knocked her unconscious on Takodana, just as relaxed. The whole flight back to Starkiller, Ben had Rey draped across his lap. There were only two seats on his shuttle, his and the pilot’s, and he wasn’t going to lay her on the floor or allow another ship to transport her. Ben had savored her features then too, however this time she was knowingly laid in his arms.

“How long have you been up?” Rey asked as she groggily wiped the sleep from her tired eyes.

“Not long,” Ben responded. His voice husky and deep after speaking with cooled vocal chords.

“Your voice is so funny in the morning.” Rey wiped sleep from her other eye.

“So is yours,” Ben commented as he watched the morning light dance across Rey’s hazel eyes. Golden flakes spotted the hazel giving Rey’s a rich color. _Beautiful._

“You too,” Rey commented after hearing Ben’s thought. Rey stared with wonder up at Ben’s face. She liked the way he looked in the morning. His hair was unkempt and his chin showed the results of neglecting a shave. She loved the way his chin doubled as he looked at her form the awkward angle the hammock put them in.

“You know Ben, you’re not the softest to lay on.”

Ben couldn’t refrain a laugh, “Well I’m sorry my physique has let you down so much.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean that. Your physique definitely isn’t a letdown… you just don’t have much spare fat.”

“Neither do you, I can practically feel your ribs through your tunic.”

“Ya, I know…”

Ben didn’t think his comment would embarrass Rey so much but the look on her face made him realize otherwise. It took Ben a moment to remember that Rey had grown up on Jakku, surviving on less food a week than he ate in a day.

“Ben, you don’t need to feel bad for your comment. I’m aware of how thin I am, I’ve always been underweight. Twenty years of malnourishment does that to a person.”

“You’re twenty?”

“Well almost.”

“Wow, you’re very mature for your age.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, I just think back to what I was doing when I was nineteen and well, being a bad ass isn’t on the list.”

“What _were_ you doing when you were my age?”

“I was training at Luke’s academy.”

“Oh. Wait, how old are you?”

“Oh god.” Ben shielded his embarrassed eyes from Rey with his hand.

“Spit it out, Solo.” Rey gave Ben’s chest a playful hit,

“I’m twenty-nine.”

“Wow, you’re old grandpa.”

“Ya, I know.” Ben rolled his eyes.

“So, you want to meditate before or after you tell me how you managed to get away from the First Order so soon after our little jaunt on Celanon?”

“Let’s meditate first.”

“Alright.” Rey couldn’t wait to find out how it was possible for Ben to actually be in her presence, but she also was excited to meditate. She’d been slacking in that department over the last few days and knew she needed to rebalance herself. The metronome of her spirit had been ticking off beat since Rey and Ben’s Force connection re-opened itself.

 

***

 

The pair stood from the hammock and walked outside of Rey’s AT-AT ready to greet the day. The morning sun was peeking over the sand dunes and filled the sky with pure light.

Rey and Ben sat in the cool sands of the planet and grasped hands. They went about meditating, centering and preparing themselves for the day.

Ben never found the logical reason behind meditation, but he appreciated the energy and serenity it gave him, even if he didn’t understand it.

After meditating, the couple walked back into Rey’s old AT-AT and prepared some portions Rey had grabbed from the _Falcon_.

They sat just within the door of the AT-AT and indulged in the stale food.

“So, tell me. How is it possible for you to actually be here right now?” Rey finally asked.

“Well, I returned to the _Supremacy_ after dropping you off. Everything was going smoothly for a while. It appeared to me, that Hux didn’t even notice I was gone. Well, yesterday morning I had a meeting with my knights. We hadn’t met since before the destruction of Starkiller. Anyways, the meeting was going well, I was telling my knights that I no longer needed them to be under my rule. I was giving them their freedom and the majority of them were on board. Unfortunately, not all were cool with the idea though. It turns out that my night, Timeer, was in cahoots with Hux. Hux had offered Timeer money to spy on me and discover the truth about what happened with Snoke. It didn’t take him long to discover the hard drive of the security footage from the throne room that I failed to delete. Timeer was then sent to follow me to Celanon, he spied on us the whole time. He knows about you, me, us… as does Hux. Long story short, Hux staged a coup in an attempt to kill me to remove me from power. My knights, the ones still loyal to me, fought with me. I was able to escape. To say the least, I am no longer Supreme Leader. I’m finally free. Well if being the most wanted man in the galaxy counts as free then you could say I’m free. I’ll take what I can get.”

Rey stared at Ben in shock. His story was something she’d never expected to hear in a million years.

“Wow, Ben, I can’t believe it.”

“I can’t either.” Ben laughed as he choked some stale portions down his throat.

“You seem to be in a pretty good mood considering what you just told me.”

“Why wouldn’t I be, I’m here with you. Are you glad I’m here Rey?”

“Of course I am! I love being with you, especially in person. So, how long you think we have?”

“Until what?”

“They come for you. The First Order.”

“I don’t know. We’re both the most wanted people in the galaxy right now. I’m guessing days, maybe a week.”

“Wow, do you think they’ll have a crowning ceremony for Hux like they did for you? That might give us a few extra days to lay low.”

“Potentially, we can check my ship to see if the HoloNet has any new announcements on behalf of the First Order.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Knowing that we’re officially on the run is making me nervous.”

“Don’t be. We’re on the run but we’re free to go wherever we want.”

“Until we’re caught,” Rey added. She normally tried to be optimistic but in these moments, she was anything but.

“You seem anxious.”

“I am. I’m putting everyone around me at risk.”

“You also surround yourself with high-risk people,” Ben added.

Rey scowled at Ben, her look of annoyance sliced through him with a dull edge. Ben promised himself he would try to avoid that look as much as possible from here on out.

“Sorry, I was just trying to make a point.”

“I get it, can we check the HoloNet?”

“Sure, I have to warn you my ship is small so we might have to take turns looking.”

“I’m sure we can squeeze. Let’s go.”

Rey stood and left Ben behind in the AT-AT as she began walking towards the Tie Silencer. Rey could only hope their faces weren’t plastered everywhere but she knew that was just wishful thinking.

Ben followed, but not before his eye caught a glimpse of an old Rebel helmet. The helmet was nothing out of the ordinary, however, the inscriptions on the side were. He decided he’d bring it up to Rey after they checked the HoloNet.

Rey pulled herself up the side of Ben’s _Tie Silencer_ and was shocked to find how small it actually was. Ben wasn’t kidding when he said it was a one-person ship, the added droid didn’t help making it appear more spacious.

“Hey Ben, what’s with this droid?”

“Oh PAD, I forgot I brought him. He’s my Personal Assistant Droid.”

“Personal Assistant? Well, aren’t you fancy.”

“He’s rather fun actually. Here, we can toss him on the _Falcon_.”

Ben climbed atop his _Silencer_ and assisted Rey with pulling PAD out of the space he was tucked, behind the pilot’s seat.

“He looks like 3PO.”

“Yeah, he does. Only he’s green, can glow in the dark, and knows when to shut up.”

“So basically, he’s 3PO only not annoying.”

“Yup, programmed him myself.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“It’s really nothing to write home about.” Ben climbed down the Tie Silencer with PAD slung over his back. He hauled him to the _Falcon_ and tossed him inside the door of the ship. Ben hadn’t been aboard the ancient relic since before he trained with Luke and he still wasn’t ready to face that part of his past.

Ben returned to the _Silencer_ and scaled the dark metal casing with ease. He popped his head through the hatch to find Rey in the pilot seat holding his heavy ‘Kylo Ren’ mask.

Her brows were furrowed and her lips were sealed in a hard-line representative of a frown.

Rey inhaled deeply, supplying her lungs with more than enough air. She blinked hard and wiped her eyes before making eye contact with Ben.

“It’s easy to forget that less than a month ago I was living here. On this very planet, all alone with no clue as to how big the galaxy was or how beautiful life could be. How green trees could be, what water could feel like when you’re submerged beneath it. A month ago, I didn’t know what it could feel like to be loved, to finally feel free, to no longer feel alone. It’s also easy to forget that no more than a month ago you were this.” Rey lifted the heavy helmet, avoiding eye contact as she continued to look back to the past. “A month ago, you were this, and I was here.”

Rey’s words struck Ben like a gunshot wound to his side, powerful and unforgiving.

“So much can change in a month, and I have a feeling the changes aren’t stopping there. You want to turn on the ship, check the HoloNet?”

Rey nodded, once again wiping the slight tears from her eyes. She let the helmet fall with a heavy thud as she kicked it aside. _Let the past die_.

Rey powered on the ship, staring through the red windshield. She was fascinated by the way the morning light reflected through the window, casting a ruby glow over the interior of the ship.

Ben climbed into the ship, avoiding falling on Rey in the process. He tucked himself behind the pilot’s seat and leaned over Rey’s shoulder to better inspect the recent First Order message.

“Click this.” Ben tapped a few buttons and pulled up the latest announcements made by the First Order. Sure enough, there was one dated to have been made yesterday, around mid-day.

 The recording began, a Holocron video featuring Hux transpired. The twelve-inch Hux hologram spoke with purpose and reason.

“My name is Armitage Hux and I am delivering an urgent message to you on behalf of the First Order.” An image of a masked Kylo Ren materialized beside Hux. “This, is Kylo Ren, your former Supreme Leader. He’s a traitor against the First order and is responsible for the death of Supreme Leader Snoke. He has been removed from power making me your new Supreme Leader. Kylo Ren is wanted on behalf of the First Order, as is this woman who goes by the name of Rey.” A projection or Rey, taken from the elevator on the _Supremacy_ , materialized beside a new projection of Kylo Ren. This projection displayed him unmasked, Rey figured the projection was also taken from the elevator given how soft his eyes and stiff his body looked. “We are offering a ten million credit reward for these two, dead or alive. We thank you for your support of the First Order and promise you we will keep you safe from the war. The Republic is dead, the First Order reigns. Thank you.”

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever heard Hux say the words ‘thank you’ before.”

“Very funny but didn’t you hear the message? We have a bounty on our heads so large that every bounty hunter in the galaxy is going to be after us.”

“I figured it would be so.”

“How can you be so relaxed about all of this?”

“I don’t know, but somehow I know everything’s going to be okay.”

“If you say so.” Rey finished. She climbed from the _Tie Silencer_ and headed back for her old home. If she was going to confront Plutt about her lineage, she’d have to do it soon before scavengers started showing up to cash in their findings.

 

***

 

Ben followed Rey back into her home, he looked around her place carefully as she seemed to be a little moody this morning and he didn’t want to upset her.

Ben walked over towards the old Rebel helmet that rested in the sandy corner of her makeshift home.

 Rey was sat on the hammock unbraiding her dirty hair. She untwisted the tangles and tried to make it seem cleaner than it really was.

Ben kneeled down and picked up the helmet to get a better look at the inscriptions on its side.

He read the helmet’s words to get a better idea as to who it used to belong to before Rey scavenged it.

 _Rey, Rebellion X-wing pilot. Rogue 3._ Ben always thought the idea of engraving a pilot’s helmet served no purpose but as he grew older he understood. A pilot would engrave their helmet so that if they died in battle, their helmets could be recovered and they would be remembered.

“Rey?” Ben asked curiously.

“Yeah?”

“Uh, where did you find this helmet?”

“I recovered it from a crashed x-wing a few miles from here when I was young. Why?”

“Could we go to the wreckage site? Do you remember where it was?”

“Sure, I remember it well. When do you want to go?”

“Would now work? Before the heat of the day kicks in?”

“Sure, but we can’t get there by foot. Quicksand pits stand between us and the crash site.”

“We can squeeze into my Tie?”

“Alright, let’s go!”

Rey grabbed her staff and headed out the door, skipping to Ben’s Tie. She didn’t know why he wanted to go there but was excited nonetheless.

Ben hoped he’d find answers in the old x-wing. He mostly hoped the x-wing hadn’t been completely overrun by sand.

_Kira Rey… the helmet’s last name read Rey. It’s not much but it’s a lead. I hope Rey is ready to face her past because I might’ve just solved the mystery about who her parents are._

Ben joined Rey in his Tie Silencer and they took off in the direction of the crash site. Rey sat in his lap as she guided the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm so excited for what the next one beholds. :) I'm hoping to get the next one up by Tuesday... we'll see if I choose to procrastinate or not.


	12. The Gospel Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey comes to terms with her past and Ben opens up about what he does and doesn't know about his own.

Ben landed his ship beside what appeared to be the crash site of an old x-wing. Sand had overtaken most of the ship rendering them unable to climb inside.

Ben held the old rebel helmet beneath his arm, not explaining his hypothesis to Rey until the time came. He didn’t want to get her hopes up or let her down if his lead led them to a dead end.

“It’s hopeless Ben, we can’t get in there.” Rey was exasperated. The heat of the day was settling in, making her skin red. “What are you looking for anyway?”

“I have a hypothesis.”

“Hypothesis?” Rey cocked her head to the side like a confused animal.

“Hypothesis, like a theory with some suggestive evidence.”

“Got it. Right, well there’s too much sand. We can’t check it out if we wanted to.”

“Everything you just said is wrong.”

“Hey,” Rey gave Ben a loving slap. “That’s a Luke line.”

Ben shrugged, “I know, I’ve just always wanted to use it. What I said was true, here’s an opportunity for you to use the Force when your life doesn’t depend on it.”

“Don’t you recall me carrying those crates with the Force back on Celanon _and_ on Yavin?”

“I remember, but this is different.”

“I don’t see how it is.”

“You were able to carry the crates with the Force because you had a motive. Same as any time you’ve used the Force prior to that. You’ve only used the Force when your life depends on it or when you’re provided no other option.”

“Okay, your point is…”

“You need to practice using the Force when you’re not in a life or death situation, not saving your friends, and not carrying something because it’s too heavy.”

“So, you want me to use the Force to life the x-wing and clear the sand off?”

“Precisely.”

“Easy.”

“Don’t get too cocky there, love.”

Rey smirked and extended her arm out towards the blanketed x-wing. _Hah, what does he know? It’s just a sandy x-wing, how is it any different from a rock?_

Having heard Rey’s thought Ben glanced down at her weak stance. _Prove me wrong. Prove to me that it’ll be just as easy as moving a rock to save your friends._

Gladly. Rey called upon the Force as she visualized herself pulling the x-wing from its desert tomb. After several long moments, Rey dropped her arm, huffing in annoyance.

“Told you, now, ground yourself. Your stance is weak, flimsy.” Ben gave Rey a gentle push and she nearly toppled over. She adjusted her feet accordingly, taking Ben’s advice with an irritated look on her sweaty face.

“I love it when you look mad at the reminder that I have more life experience than you. I am ten years older.” Ben reminded.

“Shut up,” Rey shot back, her squinted eyes rolled like ferocious waves before a storm.

 “Hey, it’s not my fault you couldn’t successfully do it on your first time. Not my fault I proved you wrong.” Rey shot Ben the look that seared through his eyes once again. He raised his hands in defense. “Sorry, too far. Now, try once more. Focus.”

Rey raised her arm once again, a soft calm encompassed her energy. Her eyelids were cemented shut, wrinkled from the squinted concentration. The coarse sand began to stir, fluttering away from the crashed ship. The ship began to shift as though it was waking up after a long night of sleep.

Rey maintained concentration, blocking all distractions out with her mental walls. Sweat poured down her temples, her arm had begun to shake but in her focused state, she took no notice.

Ben thought about intervening but he didn’t want to startle Rey out of her concentrated state.

The ship hovered out of its sandy grave and dusted itself off. The x-wing landed itself upright above what used to be its resting place.

Rey dropped to her knees from exhaustion and dehydration. Ben dropped beside Rey, the rebel helmet in his hand along with a bottle of water.

“You did great.”

Rey was panting as she wiped sweat from her forehead. She grabbed the water from Ben, “Thanks.” Rey took a big gulp of water, trying not to waste any given how limited their supply was.

“Drink more Rey, you need it. You’re so dehydrated your lips are cracking.”

Rey shook her head in protest, “No, there’s no water around here. We need to save what we have as best as we can.”

“We can find more, drink up.”

“No.”

“Fine, I’m not going to fight you but when you pass out from dehydration I’ll be shoving more water down your throat than you could be drinking now.”

“Fine.” Rey gave in, chugging another large sip of water. Rey was stubborn, but Ben was more stubborn. “You were right by the way.” Rey hated admitting she was wrong but in this situation, they both knew she was wrong so she decided it’d be best to admit it now than later.

“I know, using the Force is hard when it’s under different circumstances but you did great. Can I go look around the old ship?”

“Whatever.” Rey remained seated on the sand as she slowed her heart rate. Ben moved his large frame over to the old x-wing’s shell, the old helmet still in his hand.

The side of the x-wing had a green stripe painted down it with the words “Rogue 3” etched into it.

Ben knew this was the right x-wing and was impressed at Rey’s memory and ability to guide him here given how many ships lay within Jakku’s ship graveyard.

Ben climbed into the old cockpit, the metal was brittle from age and exposure but the ship could hold his weight. Ben shifted in the cockpit. He was trying to examine for the cause of the crash. One of the wings was missing, which could’ve aided in the crash, but Ben had a feeling that wasn’t the sole reason for the ship’s rough landing. Ben climbed out of the cockpit to the top of the ship, he balanced himself as he walked along the roof looking for other signs of mechanical failure.

_There it is. Engine failure caused by a direct blaster hit._

“You figured out what caused it to crash?”

“Ya, engine failure was the initial issue.”

“How unfortunate. So, engine failure is why you brought me all the way out here to this particular x-wing?”

“No, I have a theory.”

“I know, but you still haven’t told me what your theory is.”

Ben ignored Rey, walking back to the cockpit of the old ship. He settled his too wide frame in the worn seat and started looking for more clues to solving the mystery that had been left unsolved for many years.

There was nothing on the dash and anything that was within the space beside the seat would be long gone.

Ben stood once again from the cockpit when his foot got caught on something. _Wha- a sleeve?_ Ben pulled the sleeve to find an entire jacket attached to it. Orange with white stripes, classic rebel attire.

“Oh, you found a jacket. That’s really interesting.” Rey was uninterested.

Ben ignored Rey’s evident annoyance wondering why she was being so moody as he inspected the jacket. It was small, large enough to fit Rey’s petite frame but anyone larger than her would have to squeeze. The jacket had stitches on the right arm and across the left shoulder, it’s been through some battles, that much was evident. Ben continued inspecting the jacket, looking for anything that would be a giveaway as to the owner. He fumbled through the seams, stumbling across a withered tag.

_Rey, E. Definitely the right jacket. The helmet and jacket are part of a set._ Ben looked through all the jacket’s multiple pockets, wanting to make sure he wasn’t missing anything.

Ben squeezed his hand into the pocket of the left breast of the jacket where he felt a crinkle of paper. He pulled the wrinkled paper from the pocket, turning it over slowly. The sand and heat had done little to preserve the jacket or the photo.

_Holy shit_. Ben’s jaw dropped at the sight of the photo.

“What is it now? Find something in the jacket?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Rey got to her feet, curious as to what Ben found.

“Well, let’s see. What’d you find.” Rey tried yanking the photo from Ben’s hands but he raised it to the sky and held her back. “Ben, what the hell. Show me the photo. What’s the big deal?”

“Rey, you know the rebel helmet that you discovered at this crash site?”

“Of course, are you finally going to tell me why you dragged me all the way out here and what your ‘theory’ is about?”

“Yes, I’m sorry I didn’t bring it up to you sooner, I just didn’t want to get your hopes up.”

“Spit it out, Solo.”

“The Rebels used to write their last names and division on their helmets so that if their bodies were recovered and unrecognizable you’d be able to identify them.”

“Alright, well what’s so special about my helmet?”

“It reads: _Rey, Rebellion X-wing pilot. Rogue 3._ ”

“Rey?”

“Yes, and this jacket.” Ben lifted the jacket to show Rey the tag. “The tag also reads Rey.”

El’s words filled Rey’s mind and she was unable to follow another line of thought, _Kira Rey_.

“Ben?” Rey was near tears; her voice was shaking with uncertainty. “Ben, what’s the photo of? Ben, show me the photo.”

Rey was begging to see the photo, grasping at Ben’s arm in an attempt to catch a glimpse of it.

Ben slowly handed the ancient photo over to Rey.

She stared at the photo in shock.

Three bodies stood in the center of the wrinkled photograph, an x-wing behind the trio. On the left was a man, around thirty with shaggy hair and a strong frame. On the right was a woman, about Rey’s size with three buns and warm eyes. The couple was holding a little girl between them, she was sporting the same friendly eyes and buns as the young woman.

Tears began streaming down Rey’s cheeks, drying quickly in the hot sun. Rey continued to stare in shock at the photo, unmoving. Her face was frozen in time, Ben would’ve sworn she’d stared into the eyes of Medusa if it weren’t for the stream trickling from the corners of Rey’s eyes.

Ben moved towards Rey as she collapsed, emotion devouring her into a swirling whirlpool. 

Ben’s reflexes were barely quick enough to prevent Rey from making full contact with the burning sand, he pulled her up into a tight hug. Rey cried into Ben’s shoulders but Ben remained strong, his presence was enough to remind her that she wasn’t alone in the terrifyingly large galaxy.

Rey’s silent cries evolved into fully fledged whimpers, then to screams.

Years spent alone, wondering where her parents were. Now she knows, her mom was here all along, no more than a few miles from her home. But where was her dad?

“I know you’re not okay Rey, so I won’t ask if you are, but do you want to go back to your AT-AT?”

Rey nodded, wiping tears from her tired eyes as she pulled away from Ben’s embrace.

Rey walked back to the _Tie Silencer_ trying to maintain her emotions. Stay strong, stay strong. Phew, breath.

Rey gripped the wrinkled photograph, looking at her happy past.

She looked back over her shoulder before climbing into the _Silencer_. Rey realized she was looking at her future.

Ben retrieved the Rebel helmet from where Rey had left it on the ground, and carried it and the jacket back to the ship. He tossed them behind the seat and the pair headed back to Rey’s home.

 

***

 

Rey was silent the entire flight back, even if it only took a few minutes to make their way back to the _Falcon_ and AT-AT Rey was deeply lost in thought. The looks of confusion and concentration accompanied by lone tears concerned Ben. He knew the revelation of finding out your past was startling on an all too personal level.

After some time of Rey laying on the dirty floor of her AT-AT just staring at the metal ceiling, Ben looked over at her. He was laying in the hammock trying to get a read of her, get _something_.

“Rey?”

Rey didn’t even flinch at the sound of her name, she was lost in thought. Her mind was a vast ocean and she was just a sailor on a small ship with no cartographer to guide her.

“Rey?”

The repetition of her name abruptly pulled Rey from her mental trance. Her hands still tightly gripped the photo of who her family used to be.

“I know what you’re going through.”

“How?” Rey’s voice was polluted with hopelessness and sorrow.

“I didn’t find out my grandfather was Darth Vader until I was a teenager.”

“How is that the same thing?”

“It’s not exactly, but my family never told me about their pasts. Well, my dad did but there wasn’t much to tell. He grew up on the streets, smuggling and stealing to survive. He was practically raised by a Wookie who worked for the captain he worked for as a child. That was many years ago before he really became ‘Han Solo’. My mom on the other hand, well she never told me anything about her past. I knew she was adopted because I knew Luke grew up on Tatooine, but I never knew their father’s lineage until a news broadcaster opened his big mouth and told the galaxy. He spilled the beans before my blood relatives did, less than three weeks after that I was sent away to Luke’s.”

“What about your grandmother?”

“I still don’t know who she was. No one did, I glanced into my mother’s mind after finding out who my grandfather was in search of answers and even she didn’t know. There were a select few who know that truth and they’re long gone. The truth dies with the beholders of it.”

“So you do kind of know what it’s like.”

“Ya, it fucking sucks.”

Rey broke her focused stare with the ceiling for the first time in ages. She turned her head to look at Ben, her mouth agape at his foul language.

“You swear like a smuggler.”

“Guilty.”

Rey rolled her eyes still wondering where or who her father was.

“Ben, can you pass me my mother’s jacket?”

He tossed Rey the old jacket, she ran her hands over the thick material noticing the stitch work. Guess being a bad sewer ran in the family.

Rey turned her attention to the faded tag _, Rey, E. E…_ For some reason the name Emma felt sore on her mind, _Emma, Emma Rey, mom_.

“Do you think it was my father who sold me? Do you think my father’s still alive?”

“It’s possible, but Rey, I don’t think he’s alive. When I saw your past, there was no one there. No parents, no current connections.”

“I know, I come from nothing.”

“Maybe, but you still had parents who I’m sure loved you. Just look at how happy they look in that photo.”

“We do look happy. My mother was beautiful.”

“You’re prettier.”

“That’s harsh.”

“You look very similar to your mother, but you’ve got your father’s attitude.”

“It’s just a photo, you can’t actually see his attitude through it.”

“I can,” Ben said smugly.

“If you say so.”

Rey remained quiet for a long time, imagining what it’d be like if her parents were still around, if she’d never been sold, if she’d said yes to Ben’s offer.

“Ben? Do you ever wonder what life would be like if you changed one thing about your past?”

“Like an alternate universe? Absolutely, I bet I’m dead in most alternate universes though.”

“I bet in one, my parents are still alive.”

“In another, my grandparents would’ve raised Luke and Leia on Naboo and my mother would never have met dad.” Why did Naboo keep coming up in Ben’s mind, he didn’t know. He felt connected to it somehow even though he’d never been there.

“In an alternate universe where my parents had discovered I was Force sensitive, maybe I would’ve gone to Luke’s academy with you.”

“Maybe in one, Luke went to Toshi station and picked up some power converters instead of cleaning the droids like he was supposed to. My mother would’ve been executed and Luke would’ve grown old on Tatooine running the moisture farm with a long white beard.”

“Maybe in one I’d have taken your hand and joined you.”

“Maybe,” Ben added.

“Maybe in another one I confront Plutt for treating me like garbage.”

“That can still come to fruition in this universe you know?”

Rey had made up her mind, she was going to confront Plutt.

“Let’s go.”

“What? Now?”

“Yes.”

“But Rey, it’s the hottest time of day.”

“I know, but it’s also the strange hours of the day where no one will be in line turning in their findings so it’s perfect!” Rey grabbed her staff as she tucked the photo of her family into her breast band for safe keeping.

Ben wasn’t going to fight Rey. She’d had the realization that her mother was long gone and her father was missing. She also had demons of her past still lurking in the depths of her mind with Plutt’s name plastered all over them. Confronting that monster was something she _had_ to do.

 

***

 

Rey and Ben squeezed into his ship once again, flying to Nimaa with determination.

The pair landed with silent mode engaged, ensuring that they would be less likely to make a scene.

Rey was wearing her headscarf and goggles once again, she looked just as she had for many years. She felt like a doll in the same unchanging doll house as she walked through Nimaa.

Ben was wearing his same dark garbs and a cape that obscured his face. He was sweating profusely under the dark clothes but had no alternative options aside from his birthday suit and he quickly decided against getting completely sunburned on this day.

Rey’s breath hitched as she came within view of Plutt’s hut. This place haunted her dreams, he haunted her memories.

Ben felt the anxiety coursing through Rey’s veins as he continued walking beside her. He took notice of her tight grip on her staff and how much strength she was using to walk straight.

Rey stubbed her boot on the rocky sand beneath her feet but before she made her clumsy and distracted self stand out, Ben grabbed her with one arm and rebalanced her on her feet. He guided her forward with his arm at the base of her back for support.

_Don’t let your nervousness show. You’re safe, I’m here with you._ Ben thought loudly enough for Rey to hear, she nodded her scarfed head in recognition.

Rey walked up the Plutt’s window ready to spit in his face. He was currently lurking in the cool shadows of his shack but when Ben banged his fist on the counter the monster presented himself before the couple.

Ben gazed with hatred and disgust at the inhumane animal before him. He felt a sense of pride upon noticing the crooked appearance of his nose knowing Rey had inflicted that.

“Whaddya want?” Plutt’s disgusting voice spoke to the cloaked figure.

Ben said nothing, it wasn’t his place.

_Ask him to come out back, tell him you have a ship for sale as you’re a visitor_. Rey instructed.

Ben didn’t know what she was planning but he went along with it anyway.

“I have a ship I would like to sell you. I’m just passing through but I have no need for such a large ship when It’s only me and my compadre.”

_Compadre_? Rey laughed in her head. Ben ignored her.

Plutt looked at Rey strangely. Rey was obstructing most of herself behind Ben but Plutt thought she seemed familiar even though he couldn’t see most of her.

“Very well. I’ll meet you out back.”

Rey and Ben walked around the back of Plutt’s hut, memories bombarding her with every grain of sand they stepped by.

Rey steadied her staff greeting Plutt with a harsh blow to the nose as he opened his back door.

Plutt fell to the ground, gripping his re-broken bloody nose with his gross hands.

“Who do you think you are girl?” Plutt took a good look at Rey as she unraveled her scarf, tossing it aside. “Thief!” Plutt spit.

Rey delivered another blow to the side of Plutt’s head, making his head spin giving his brains a good shake.

“You came here to beat me to death after I so kindly raised you and fed you after your parents threw you away.”

“They didn’t throw me away!” Rey grit her teeth, calling on the dark side.

Fear reached Ben’s eyes. _Rey, you’re calling upon the dark. Hang up!_

Rey took Ben’s words into consideration but ignored him focusing all her attention on Plutt.

Plutt laughed. “They threw you away, they had no need for you. Your mother went off and killed herself, your father did the same.”

“What?”

“Your father was too much of a wimp without your mother. He slit his wrists, bled out beside the whore’s corpse.” 

_Does no one in this galaxy have respect for women?_ Ben thought quickly, enraged at Plutt and the hunters from Celanon’s behaviors.

Rey twirled her staff, smacking it hard into the right side of Plutt’s head.

He crinkled his wrinkled face in pain.

“Weak, your parents were weak little rebels. Nothing but numbers who died for a cause.” Plutt didn’t know when to put a cork in it.

“Maybe so, but I am not weak.” Rey delivered another blow to Plutt, this time crippling his left knee.

“You came with a bodyguard, pathetic child.” Plutt was officially pushing his luck, testing the ferocity of the scavenger.

“I’m a child now that I’m beating you up but I was grown when you tried to rape me.”

“I owned you, you were mine to use as I like. Still are, technically. How about you lift that shirt for me. Show me those pretty little tits of yours, I’m sure they’ve changed since I last saw them.”

“You’re disgusting.” Rey spit in Plutt’s eye. He blinked it away.

“And you’re a slut who will spread her legs for the first man she meets.”

Rey lifted her arm and started choking Plutt, not hard enough that he would pass out but hard enough for him to choke on his spit.

“You will never speak to me that way again.”

Plutt looked up at Rey for the first time with fear-ridden eyes, completely unsure of how the unpredictability of Rey would act.

“Yo-ur pa-a-arents…” Plutt tried choking out. Rye loosened her grip, releasing from the clutches of her Force.

“Your parents knew you’d turn out like this, said you’d talk about seeing a boy in your dreams who’d make things float. Your father told me this when he dumped you, left a necklace too. If you let me live I’ll show you it.” Plutt spilled everything he knew about her past.

Rey finally had the answers she’d always been searching for.

“Show me the necklace.”

Plutt nodded as he stood up. He finally knew to not push his luck… for now.

Rey followed the monster into the hut. Ben followed her, his hand hovering near where his saber was clicked to his belt. He was ready for anything.

Plutt dug through a cabinet and pulled out an old box. Within the box was a single necklace, a light chain with silver twine twisted around a yellow crystal. Rey felt drawn to the crystal, connected to it, bonded.

Rey walked over to Plutt and took the necklace from him as she stared fiercely into his grotesque eyes that were the size of pins.

“No thank you from Uncle Plutt?”

“No,” Ben spoke up on behalf of Rey. It was the first time he’d intervened since Rey’s staff came to blows with Plutt but Ben was ready to wrap this up.

Plutt pressed his limits for the last time, grabbing Rey’s arm. “At least give me a goodbye hug.”

Rey dropped her staff and called Ben’s saber to her. She ignited it and sliced through Plutt’s arm, it fell to the dirty floor with a heavy thud. She was filled with no remorse.

“That’s for everything you’ve pulled over on me.”

Plutt screamed in pain on the floor.

Rey twirled Ben’s heavy saber and lopped off Plutt’s other arm unforgivingly.

“And that’s so you will never be able to touch another girl again.”

Finally, Rey twirled her saber and sliced through Plutt’s mid-section.

“You’re half the man you ever were, now no one will have to be dealt half of what their findings are worth again.”

Rey extinguished Ben’s saber and handed it over to him respectfully, her eyes thanked him for allowing her to use it.

Ben looked in shock at the finally deceased Unkar Plutt. 

He followed Rey outside, many questions on his mind.

 

***

 

The pair flew back to Rey’s AT-AT speaking of her past. Her mother died a hero, her father, a man in love.

Rey and Ben planned on leaving that night, after making a mess with Plutt and having a tremendous bounty on their heads they couldn’t risk staying around for long.

Rey packed her few things into a bag and placed them on the Falcon alongside her mother’s helmet and jacket.

Rey placed the necklace on her neck, admiring the beautiful crystal.

She walked down the ramp of the _Falcon_ , alerting Ben that she was ready.

Ben grabbed his helmet from the _Tie Silencer_ along with the emergency supplies the ship had aboard. He came across his bag of peanut butter and chocolate and was thankful he hid it away on his ship.

“You ready?”

“Yeah, I just haven’t been aboard the _Falcon_ in something like ten years.”

“I know. It’ll be okay thoug-“ Rey was cut off by the sound of a ship swooping low above them.

“Kriff” Rey muttered under her breath.

“And you say I’m the one with the foul mouth!”

“Not the time Ben!”

The pair could hear the ship swooping down once again.

Ben sprinted aboard the _Falcon_ just as the attacker began open fire upon the ground. Before they knew it, Rey was in the cockpit powering up the ship.

“Ben, how capable are you of handling the guns?”

“Hah, please. I’ve got better aim than my dad had on those things.”

“Well go be useful!”

Rey skipped her preflight checklist and took off with a jolt.

She heard Ben yell in pain accompanied by a thump.

“You okay?”

“Ya, just be more careful when I’m on a ladder!”

“Sorry!”

Rey flew the pair through the darkness as her AT-AT and Ben’s _Silencer_ exploded in a column of flames and smoke.

_Let the past die._

Dusk had fallen and the sunset had faded, but the _Falcon_ was more visible than ever in the dark light of night.

Rey saw bolts fly at the ship and she maneuvered the ship around, dodging every blow.

“You going to shoot them or not?”

“I am, I just can’t see them!”

“I can’t see them either!”

“They must be cloaked, dammit. Rey, leave Jakku’s atmosphere and jump to lightspeed as fast as you can!”

“Got it!”

She zoomed through the sky and did as Ben instructed. Before she knew it, they were in lightspeed heading towards Naboo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I had fun writing it! Rey knows about her past...now I wonder what Ben will discover about his own. *cue mad scientist laughter*


	13. Pusillanimous Creature

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben revisits some of the ghosts of him past. Meanwhile, Rey gets an update on the Resistance.

Ben sat back in the gunner bay running his fingers through his thick ebony hair.

He felt strange aboard the old ship.

It looked the same as he’d last seen it. Maybe a little dirtier with thicker dust atop everything, but besides that, nothing had changed.

Same old scratches, same old stains, same old ship.

Ben needed a moment to himself to re-explore the ship he was once so accustomed to.

He leaned into the gunner seat, taking deep calming breaths.

Ben closed his eyes as he watched the colors of lightspeed through his lids. _Stop being such a baby and explore the ship already. It’s exactly the same as you left it plus you can plug PAD in to charge. Ooh he’s going to be annoyed with you for ignoring him for a few days. Dammit, move your giant body already and open your eyes! You can’t walk about the ship with your eyes closed._

Ben was mad at himself. A part of him of was forcing his eyes closed, not wanting to confront his past or the ship. This was the first time he was aboard the _Falcon_ and neither of his parents were there.

The part of Ben’s mind that kept yelling at him to stop being such a baby pulled his heavy frame from the chair and move towards the ladder to ascend back up to the main level of the _Falcon._ Ben climbed his way up the old ladder, feeling like he was carrying his own dead weight.

Ben reached the top of the ladder holding his breath. He sat on the cool floor of the ship and looked around… he almost felt as though he was waiting for his mother to come yell at him for being in the gunner bay without permission… but Leia never came.

The heavy footsteps belonging the walking carpet never trotted towards him. The hairy paw never came to give Ben a noogie.

He still sat _waiting._

Waiting for his family, the family who went hand in hand with the _Falcon._

For a brief moment, Ben blinked as he sat at the top of the ladder. He could’ve sworn he’d heard Han’s footsteps. Hear the holster bump against his hip, heard the husky voice of his dad. _Hey kid._

Ben blinked tears away, now he really felt like a child.

He still felt like he could hear his dad in his mind. _“Crying’s for girls and you won’t impress that girl with those tears.”_

 _Great, now I’m going fucking insane._  Ben thought to himself.

He stood from the cool floor and wiped his hands on his dark pants. They showed every particle of dirt and dust and were officially a sandy grey color after meeting Jakku. Ben needed to find a change in clothes because the appearance of his current pair was absolutely embarrassing.

Ben walked towards the old sleeping quarters, feeling the hum of the ship beneath his feet. A part of him was worried the rust bucket would fall apart in hyperspace. However, the Solo side of him knew this ship could break in half and still fly the same as it had in it’s prime.

Ben looked at the dirty walls, wondering if they’d ever been white or had always proudly worn their brown color. He decided they’d probably been white when the ship was owned by Lando, but that was an unfathomably long time ago and Ben figured it wasn’t worth imagining the walls white. He liked their brown appearance anyways. For some reason dirty just suited the ship.

Ben reached the outside of the sleeping quarters, still holding his breath. He couldn’t come to terms with entering his father’s room quite yet, too many memories. Instead, he walked towards his old cupboard. He opened the closet to be greeted by his old cot, stripped of its sheets. He knew Rey had taken them for herself many years ago to make her clothes and that brought a smile to his face. He lifted the old cot and found it had been undisturbed since he’d last slept in it.

His favorite calligraphy masterpieces still lay where he left them.

He picked up a poem he’d written in his special ink, and read it quietly to himself.

_The girl who haunts my dreams._

  _I hate it when she screams._

_She runs from her demons,_

_Scared of the shadows that will soon lurk_

_I feel her pain_

_But all of this lies in her future_

_She has yet to meet the creature_

_That will allow her to attain_

_The strength to lay the groundwork_

_Of moving on from the past_

_And preparing for the inevitable future_

Ben admired the beautiful scripture of his art, the ink flowed effortlessly. He missed creating and regretted leaving his new pens and paper on the _Supremacy._

Ben re-read his old poem, _not the best poem I’ve ever written. I was twelve so I guess it’s pretty good, considering._ Ben was always too hard on himself.

Ben carefully tucked the photo into his pocket, keeping it hidden for safe keeping. He felt like a rodent hiding it’s food away for later use.  

 _Okay, change of clothes. What is there lying around that might fit me?_ Ben dug around his old closet, finding nothing large enough to slip over his gigantic frame. _Great, nothing other than some old tighty whities and dirty socks. I really need to hide these before Rey stumbles across them_. Ben hid his dirty laundry under his mattress beside some of his old calligraphy.

Ben squeezed back out of the all too narrow closet into the hall. He turned and moved towards the captain’s quarters. Bit by bit, Ben slowly raised his hand to the cool metal of the handle, shakily turning it, afraid of what potentially laid behind the door.

Ben held his breath as he walked into the messy room, it was small and dimly lit but still looked exactly as it always had. Dirty rags lay in the corner and thick layers of dust still coated everything. Dust just seemed to be an inescapable and unavoidable part of the _Falcon_ now.

Even though the ship had been stolen from Han and changed hands a few times, the captain’s quarters still smelled exactly like Ben’s dad. He breathed in the rich scent, holding back even more tears that threatened to spill.

He walked over towards the unmade bed.

The bed still had the soft pink sheets Leia loved, the material was smooth and silky and clung to the body in a comforting way. Ben always thought it was funny that his father put up with Leia’s royal ways, all the way down to learning how to braid according to Alderaanian tradition. Han even taught Ben how to execute the ceremonial Alderaanian braids on his mother’s hair so that he’d have the knowledge for the future. Ben thought it was pointless, but he still appreciated the family time spent braiding.

Ben crouched to his knees, placing his finger tips on the floor for balance. He reached under the bed pulling an old crate from beneath it. The crate was heavy and well used, a single metal buckle kept the contents from joining the mess on the floor.  

He opened the crate hoping to find some clean clothes, to his surprise, there was a freshly white shirt and a few pairs of trousers in the box.

Ben examined the size of the fresh clothes. Now that Ben was fully grown, he was exceptionally tall. When he was on Starkiller, Ben was shocked to find that he was taller than his father by about an inch, and much broader.

Ben undressed from his dark frocks, leaving only his black socks and underwear on. He pulled on his father’s pants first. Surprisingly, they were a perfect fit. The black pants with red piping hugged Ben in all the right places. Han’s ceremonial yellow piped pants had also been in the box, but out of respect for the Corellian ways, Ben left those untouched. He hadn’t earned the right to wear them, and he respected the sacred tradition too much to tarnish it. Ben also hadn’t earned the right to wear the red piped pants, but he was wearing them in his father’s memory and out of necessity so he figured it could slide.

Ben pulled on his old boots and his father’s old white shirt. The shirt was too tight so Ben left the top buttons open. He pulled on his father’s old vest and looked in the mirror to make sure he didn’t look _completely_ ridiculous.

 _“Holy Fuck!_ ” Ben exclaimed. Had he said that aloud?

“Are you okay Ben?” Ben heard Rey scream from the cockpit of the ship.

“Ya, fine!”

“Okay! I’m still trying to contact the Resistance.”

“Got it! Thanks for the update!”

Ben continued looking at himself in the dirty mirror. He looked _exactly_ like his father. Had he always had his father’s build, chin, and nose? The resemblances were eerily similar, many of them Ben never noticed until seeing himself in his father’s clothes.

 _Maybe if I tuck my shirt in I’ll look less like him?_ Ben tucked his shirt in. _Dammit, I look more like him. Did dad wear his shirt tucked or untucked? I can’t remember, I’m just going to untuck it anyways._

Ben methodically slid the old box back under the bed and abandoned the captain’s room, careful to leave everything just as he’d found it.

He continued exploring the old ship, wandering aimlessly avoiding the burden of memories.

Ben made found himself in the main hold of the ship. He walked over to the Dejarik table and powered it on. Mini alien holograms appeared before him on the table. A game was still in progress and whoever was playing for blue, was going to lose. Ben powered the table off and slumped into the semi-circle couch.

He glanced around the main hold of the ship, yet another room where time was standing still. Ben wondering how many people could get their hands on this ship before moving the crates and toolboxes that permanently lived beside the engineering station.

Ben’s eyes continued glancing around the room, looking for any detail that may have changed since the last time he was in it. His luck was coming up dry.

His eyes glanced over PAD and R2.

 _R2? What is he doing here?_ Ben figured Rey brought the old droid with her but he wondered why his mother was okay with it. _Then again, the droid is ancient and known for getting into trouble. If he was mine I know I’d want to get him off my hands._

Ben walked over towards the old droid, powering it on.

R2 lit up with excitement, releasing little beeps and whirs.

“No R2, I didn’t get thirty years younger. R2, I’m not Han Solo.”

The droid shifted itself away from Ben, it’s scanners were registering Han in it’s systems but the facial recognition was coming up wrong.

The droid stuck out a taser, through a series of beeps it questioned the man parading around as Han Solo. The droid mostly wanted to know who the man before it was and why they were dressed as the old smuggler.

“R2, it’s me, Ben Solo. Been a while buddy.” Ben stood from his crouched position and walked back to the couch. The droid followed him, putting away his taser appendage with a squeak.

Ben looked up at the droid, “You ever wish things went back to the way they used to be?”

The droid whirred sadly, pulling up an old projection of Leia’s plea for help.

Ben laughed, looking at the old message. His mother looked so young, so innocent, so important.

“I guess I’ll take that as a yes.” Ben thought about everything R2 had seen. “Can you show me some more of the old things stored in your memory files?”

R2 beeped and whirred, pulling up memories Ben had only heard of. He saw Luke on Tatooine, saw a green alien Ben could only assume was Yoda, saw Jabba the Hutt, saw too much of his mother in a gold bikini (the sight made his ears redden), he even saw his parents dance with the ewoks and kiss under the stars. Through all that fighting they really did love each other.

R2 continued showing memories. Ben saw himself as a baby, he saw chewie crying as he held him for the first time, he saw Leia almost drop him and look up to see if Han had noticed. He didn’t.

Ben continued to watch in wonder at the memories, his favorite had been Luke trimming Ben’s baby hairs and seeing Ben sleeping on Han’s chest. Han crying after sending Ben off to Luke was perhaps the most shocking memory, it was followed up by Han turning to the droid commanding him to wipe his memory from the last thirty seconds. Obviously, the droid disobeyed Han’s request.

“Thank you R2,” Ben glanced over the old droid. His silver was dull and dirty. “You look like you need a polish,” Ben grabbed an old rag and some droid polish. “May I?”

The droid rolled itself in a circle before scooting closer to Ben. Ben polished the droid to a clean shine, “There, you look good as new!” He patted the droid on the top of its shiny dome, “Can I oil some of your buttons up? That way you’ll really be good as new.”

The droid agreed once again, enjoying the pampering he’d been so deprived of.

Ben got to work, oiling and greasing the droid’s buttons and knobs. Tightening the occasional screw or bolt here or there with some of his dad’s old tools.

Ben came across the memory drive and he gently applied oil to the knob, careful so as to not accidentally delete all of R2’s memory. Suddenly, Ben’s hand cramped and he jolted back, massaging his dirty palm. Before him another memory played out, R2 was on a desert planet meeting C3PO for the first time. C3PO was 3PO alright, only he was nothing more than wires and a few screws. In the back of the memory stood a little boy and a young girl. The memory skipped forward a few years to R2 meeting 3PO for the first time since. 3PO was now his normal gold self but was covered in dust from the sands of the same desert planet.

 _What planet are they on?_ Ben wondered to himself.

Suddenly, a young man walked into frame of the memory. Ben guessed he was around 19 or 20, still a Padawan wearing his braid. Beside the young man was a woman in white, a few years older than the Padawan but just as naïve. She looked familiar to Ben but he couldn’t put his finger on her identity.

“Anakin..” The memory ended as R2 regained his bearings.

Ben was speechless. Anakin, his grandfather. _Grandfather, Darth Vader. Only it was him when he was still a man. Who was the woman?_

 _“_ R2, can you show me another memory of the couple I just saw?”

R2 beeped and whirred as he began playing another memory. This time, the couple was walking together through the royal grounds of Naboo. Ben recognized the planet from previous research and textbooks; in just a few short hours he’d be there for himself. He continued watching the memory, Anakin was standing beside the radiant woman in his Jedi robes. The woman was wearing a light toole dress, with an open back. Ben couldn’t hear what the couple was talking about but he watched as Anakin moved in for a kiss with the beautiful woman. She reciprocated his feelings, but then pulled away.

 _That’s her, that’s my grandmother._ “Show me more, perhaps a few years later?”

R2 pulled up a newer memory.

The memory was dark, it started with R2 rolling down the ramp of a ship behind a pregnant woman. The same woman from the previous memory, she ran up to Anakin and hugged him. He was draped in dark Jedi robes and his face was shaded, a pair of burning eyes seared through the memory files R2 was projecting.

“Love won’t save you Padme, only my new powers can do that…” Ben inhaled sharply and place a shaky hand over his mouth, _Padme. Padme Amidala, Queen of Naboo and senator in the Galactic Senate. Why didn’t I figure it out sooner, of course. Padme Amidala is my grandmother!_

Ben continued to watch the memory in shock, Anakin’s hand was raised delivering a Force choke to Padme. A young Obi Wan appeared, dropping his robes as Padme fell unconscious. The memory ended as tears escaped from Ben’s soft eyes.

 _I can’t believe my grandfather would choke his pregnant wife, he had officially become Darth Vader. How could grandpa choke the woman he loved who was pregnant with his children?_ Ben couldn’t wrap his mind around all the new information. He was sure of one thing though, he’d never let himself fall to the dark side like his grandfather had. He’d never hurt Rey like that.

_Never._

***

 

Rey sat in the cockpit of the _Falcon_ trying to get through the COM radio to the Resistance. She could hear Ben moving around the _Falcon._ At the moment, it sounded as though he was messing with R2 in the main hold.

_Good that he’s occupied while I try to figure out how to get through to the Resistance._

She spoke through the headset testing different radio frequencies for the Yavin area. After many minutes of trying she finally had success.

“This is the _Millennium Falcon.”_

“Hello _Millennium Falcon,_ Rey?” A random Resistance member spoke.

“Yes, this is Rey. May I be patched through to General Leia Organa please.”

“You’ve been patched through to General Organa. Proceed with your conversation.”

Rey heard the receiver change and spoke first.

“Leia!”

“Rey, where are you? Are you still on Jakku?”

“No, I’m sure you saw the broadcast.”

“I saw it, Rey, where are you?”

“I’m on the _Falcon_ right now, I’m in lightspeed heading towards Naboo.”

“Naboo? Interesting planet choice.”

“Ben recommended it.” Rey only thought to censor herself, regarding Ben, after she had muttered his name.

“You’re with Ben?”

“Yes, he tracked me down on Jakku.”

“I guess if you’re both on the run it’s easiest to be on the run together, although, it makes you an easier target to be found.”

“Our position on Jakku was compromised so we were sort of forced out of there. Do you think we’ll be safe on Naboo for a few days?”

“Yes, you should be. I’ve only been to Naboo once on Alderaanian business many years ago but it’s a very politically neutral planet. You shouldn’t have an issue laying low for a little bit. Stay there as long as you can though, try and let the craze of hunting you guys die down before you breach your position.”

“We will, thank you Leia. Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask, was Poe’s meeting successful?”

“Yes, it was! He successfully got us sponsorship from Kuat. This is major, Kuat has always been an untrustworthy alliance but I have a feeling this time it’ll work out.”

“That’s awesome Leia! Besides that, have there been any new incidents or happenings of any kind?”

“No, we’re still laying low trying to gain numbers and materials.”

“It’s what we have to be doing right now. Just know that Ben and I are safe and you don’t need to worry about us right now.”

“Thank you, Rey. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yes, we’ll connect later. Don’t forget to rest and take a breather.”

“Thank you. May the Force be with you.”

With that, the radio call ended. Rey felt relieved to have gotten an update on the Resistance and given Leia a brief update on her own whereabouts.

 

***

 

Rey decided now was as good a time as any to check in on Ben.

She stood from the cockpit and moved towards the main hold. The air was far too stagnant and quiet.

“Ben?”

Rey received no response, she walked into the main hold to find R2 sitting in the middle of the room with Ben crouched beside him. His face was obstructed from Rey’s view but his shoulders were gently shaking.

“Are you okay?”

Rey heard Ben sniffle as he stiffened, the muscles in the back obviously knotting themselves tighter.

“No, I’m not.”

Rey moved over to the man who looked less like Kylo Ren and more like a smuggler. She liked the new look, it suited him even with his saber attached to his worn belt.

Rey leaned down beside Ben, balancing on the balls of her feet. She looked at the freshly polished exterior of R2 as she wondered what was troubling Ben.

“Ben, what is it?”

“I was watching some of R2’s old memories and I came across some truths that I don’t think I was ready to discover.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I saw my grandfather.”

“Oh, R2 has memories of Vader?”

“No, not Vader. Anakin Skywalker, the man my grandfather was before he wore the mask.”

“Oh.”

“Not just that, I saw my grandmother too.”

“Your grandmother? I thought you didn’t know who your grandmother was.”

“Ten minutes ago I didn’t, I do now. My grandmother was a woman by the name of Padme Amidala. She was Queen of Naboo before becoming a senator in the Galactic Senate. She perished before the true rise of the empire, right after order 66 was executed.”

“Order 66?”

“You wouldn’t know what it was unless you studied it. It was an order to eradicate the Jedi and for the most part, it was successful.”

“Wow, so your grandmother was Queen of Naboo?”

“Yep.”

“Does that make you the Prince of two planets then?”

“Well, if Alderaan was still around, then technically, yes. Although, I will admit, I don’t know how the Naboo government works when it comes to royalty.”

“Wow, that’s pretty cool!”

“Ya, it is.”

 Ben wiped the remaining tears from his cheeks as he stood to his full height, towering over Rey.

“Have you met PAD yet?”

“I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced. All I’ve seen of him was you tossing him from your ship onto the _Falcon_ this morning.”

“Well, now’s as good a time as ever.” Ben walked over to where the green droid was slumped on the floor in the corner. He pressed the button on the back of the droid’s head, powering him on.

“This is PAD, Kylo Ren’s personal assistant droid.” The droid spoke is programmed script before his eyes powered on. “Kylo, where are we? Ew, it’s disgusting in here.”

“Thank you for noticing PAD.” Ben propped the droid up to its standing position. “There that’s better.”

“What on the _Supremacy_ are you wearing? It’s disgusting, you look like a scoundrel.”

“Scoundrel?” Rey interrupted. “I like the sound of that.” She gave Ben a suggestive look as she noticed Ben’s change of attire for herself.

“Who is she.” PAD pointed rudely to Rey.

“Manners PAD, this is Rey.”

“Nice to meet you PAD.”

“Likewise, I guess.”

Though he was a droid, Rey could practically see his vacant eyes rolling out of his head. 

“Wow Ben, he’s a moody one.”

“No moodier than you’ve been today.”

Rey thought back to Dr. Kalonia, moodiness was a symptom of PMS. _Crap._

“What?” Kylo asked, confused at Rey’s thought origin.

“Oh nothing.”

“Ren, I don’t understand.”

“Ignore it.” Ben ordered PAD.

“Ignoring it sir, though if I say… wasn’t ignoring it I’d say you two have lost your marbles.”

Rey laughed at the droid. “You know, I think I like this one.”

“Kylo always says I’m a better C3PO, whoever that is. You can thank my programming for my rude behavior.”

“It’s not rude, you’re funny.”

“Thanks.” Ben responded on behalf of the droid.

“Hey, that’s my job to say.” PAD said with a hint of annoyance to his robotic voice.

“Well, I answered for you because I programmed you. Ooh, show Rey green mode.” Ben ordered the droid. “You’ll like this,” he turned his attention to Rey.

Slowly, PAD started glowing in the dim light of the _Falcon_.

“Green mode engaged.”

“Wow, he’s glowing!”

“Yup, I designed him to glow in the dark. It doesn’t really serve a practical purpose but it does look cool.”

“I love it!”

Ben felt proud of his work with PAD and he blushed a little knowing Rey appreciated the droid’s quirky programing.

“How long until we drop out of lightspeed?”

“About sixteen hours.”

“Wow, you want to get some sleep?”

 “Yes, please! I’m exhausted.”

“Me too. PAD, go plug yourself in and power off please.”

PAD padded towards the powering station and plugged himself in. Before powering off he raised his green arm and moved a finger between the couple. “No funny business while I’m off!”

“Power off PAD.” Ben retorqued.

“I can’t wait to get some rest, you want to sleep together?” Rey asked.

Ben immediately couldn’t help imagining Rey… in an indecent state. He had to control his thoughts now that she had access to them, he still hardened at the mental picture of sleeping with Rey. Luckily, Rey didn’t notice the change in his energy.

“Let me rephrase that, do you want to sleep like we did last night or should we take separate sofas?”

“I don’t mind sleeping like we did last night. I had the first good night of sleep in a while with you.”

“Me too.”

The pair snuggled on the old couch beside the Dejarik table.

In each other’s company, they were easily able to drift off to sleep. The ship hummed around them, lulling them further into a peaceful rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked this chapter with R2 and PAD. We'll be seeing more of PAD because frankly, I love him! He's so much fun to write, I jut have to sit back and wonder how I'd react to the given situation. Ben is definitely evolving into more of a Solo (if you can't tell) and I'm living for it. Lol, I feel like my own biggest fangirl of this story right now. (How stuck up and cocky is that?) ;D


	14. Naboo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey have a run in with the queen of Naboo, it turns out her palace doesn't exactly have the best security.

Rey dreamed once again of the forest, the mud, the explosions, the pain, the _death._

Ben dreamed once again of the forest, the blood, the attacks, the suffering, the _death_.

It was as though the couple’s dreams had synched for when Ben’s body fell lifeless to the muddy forest floor, they both regained consciousness in a shockingly short amount of time.

Ben sat up on the couch, panting as he wiped sweat from his temples.

Rey leaned away from where she’d been sleeping, tucked against Ben’s body, and found herself on the cool floor of the _Falcon_ , tears wetting her warm cheeks.

Ben looked down at Rey’s shaking body, “You dream about it too?”

“Yavin?” Rey avoided Ben’s eyes, embarrassed at her reaction to something as simple as a dream.

Ben nodded. “The forest, the death. Was that your first time dreaming about it?”

“No. I first dreamt it after our Force connection. The first time we connected since Crait.”

“That’s when I first dreamt it too. I can never see what happens after I fall in pain though.”

“I wake up then too, all I know is in the dream I always run to your limp body.” Rey finally gained the courage to look up at Ben, she needed a reminder that he was still with her. That he wasn’t lying face down in the mud of Yavin. That it _had_ been a dream. “Do you think it’s a vision of the future?”

Ben’s features hardened as his jaw clenched. He swallowed, afraid to confront his own beliefs on the matter.

“I do.”

Rey glanced away again, nodding her head. “If it is, I won’t let it happen.”

“Rey, you can’t change the inevitable.”

“I can’t, but I can prevent something from happening.”

“That’s not how fate works.”

“I don’t care, Ben. I only feel whole when I’m around you. Imagining living with you dead—”

“It’d be like a part of your soul was ripped out and tortured before eventually perishing?”

“Precisely.”

“I know if you die before I do, I’ll have no reason to live. I’d kill myself.”

“Hey, don’t talk like that. Our relationship isn’t that serious Ben.”

“That’s not what I mean. The pain of being half a person would be too much to bear, you said it yourself.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter, because that’s not what the future holds for us.”

“I hope not. How long do you suppose we were asleep?”

“I don’t know, but I know it felt like mere minutes.”

“I’ll go check.” Ben stood from the couch, stepping over Rey who was still lying on the floor. He leaned down and wrapped one of his strong arms under her knees, the other around her back. He picked her up gently, carefully moving her back up to the couch.

“What was that for?”

“You deserve more than lying on the floor.”

“Thank you.”

Ben turned towards the cockpit, adjusting his pants and shirt in the process. His saber was reclipped to his belt by the time he made it to the pilot’s seat.

Ben didn’t dare sit down in the captain’s chair, instead, he opted for the co-pilot’s seat. He slowly sunk into the ripped chair, adjusting in the worn cushion to find comfort. Instead, all he found was a hairball.

He clicked on the screen that showed their location and estimated time arrival.

_An hour and twelve minutes, wow._

_An hour?!_ Rey shouted her thought from the other room. _Did we sleep for fifteen hours?_

 _Guess so._ Ben stood back up from the copilot’s seat and returned to the main hold of the ship.

“Hey, since we’re going to be there in an hour, do you want to shower off before we land? The fresher might not have the warmest water but it’ll wake you up.”

“Are you suggesting that I’m such a filthy desert rat that I need to need a shower?”

“I’m suggesting you at least wet your hair before we land. It’s been in the same messy knot for days and is officially a bantha nest.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means your hair is so dirty you couldn’t brush it if you wanted to. Are you going to shower or not?”

“Fine, I’ll shower.” Rey walked off towards the ship’s bathroom, both annoyed that Ben suggested a shower in the first place but relieved that he reminded her to take one.

There was no certainty about Naboo, who knows who she’d meet once she got there. Rey just wanted to look somewhat presentable.

 

***

 

While Rey was in the shower, Ben occupied himself with dusting. He hated cleaning, but he was bored and had nothing to do, plus he was tall so reaching the top of everything was easy.

After about fifteen minutes of dusting, Ben heard Rey’s thoughts.

_Shit._

He laughed at it at first, it always sounded so funny when Rey swore. Ben, on the other hand, swore like a pirate, but he didn’t care.

 _Shit_. Rey thought again.

_Rey, you okay?_

_Ya, I’m fine. Just stranded without a towel or rag to dry myself off._

_Oh! I can bring you something, hold on!_ Ben laughed at Rey’s predicament. He was notorious among his close relatives for forgetting to bring a towel to the shower. He’d forget so often, he’d make PAD bring him one. PAD would always poke fun at Ben. “Looks like Supreme Leader has been found naked and afraid once again.” PAD would always joke.

“PAD?” Ben asked. He knew the droid tended to keep an extra towel in his storage compartment specifically because Ben forgot his so much.

“PAD, personal assistant droid. How may I help you Kylo?”

“I need a towel.”

“Why?” The droid responded.

“You’re a personal assistant droid, give me my towel and don’t question me.”

“Why? You’re not naked, nor shivering, nor dirty, nor sweating. Why should _I_ give _you_ your towel?”

“Because I said so.”

PAD shrugged. “Not a good enough reason.”

“Man, you’re really the worst personal assistant droid ever, you know that? I think I need to change your programming or just deactivate you.”

“Fine, here’s the towel.” PAD tossed Ben the towel dramatically, purposefully making it fall out of Ben’s reach making him dive for it to avoid the clean towel hitting the dirty floor of the ship.

“Thanks for that.”

“Any time.” PAD retorqued.

Ben stood outside the door of the bathroom holding his breath. _Rey! I got a towel, can I come in?_

_Cloe your eyes, I don’t want to get water all over the floor so you’ll have to walk to the shower with the towel. Don’t look!_

Ben found Rey’s wish for modesty funny considering they were now bonded and he was bound to see her nude sometime, but he still respected her wish.

Ben opened the door with his eyes closed and blindly took a step inside the steamy room. He lifted his toweled hand and felt for the shower, making his way towards Rey carefully.

“Ben, you’re about to walk into the toilet. Come over here.”

Ben turned to his right and followed Rey’s voice. It had been ages since he’d been in the _Falcon’s_ bathroom and he didn’t exactly remember the floor plan like he had the rest of the ship.

Ben reached the towel out before him until it bumped into something. Ben shot his eyes open out of instinct to see what he hit, “Ah SHIT! Sorry Rey!”

Ben didn’t leave his eyes open long enough to soak in all of Rey, but they were open long enough to notice the curve of her breasts and the look on her face that had just collided with a plush towel.

“It’s okay Ben, don’t worry about it. We’re bound to see each other sometime, thanks for the towel.” Rey was being surprisingly cool with the incident and Ben could not be more thankful for that.

Ben’s eyes were still tightly locked when Rey took the towel from him.

“There’s no way you found this towel on board, this is the softest towel I’ve ever felt!”

“It’s mine, from the _Supremacy_.”

“Thanks for letting me use it.”

“It’s clean!” Ben spat.

“Well thanks for that, but I was honestly expecting a rag covered in grease, not a full-on fluffy towel.”

“Can I go now?” Ben suddenly felt very uncomfortable having a conversation with Rey, who was wet and very naked, while his eyes were closed and trying his best not to open them.

“If you’re that uncomfortable by all means, excuse yourself.”

Ben was that uncomfortable and he wanted to leave Rey to get dressed in private, so he promptly left.

 

***

 

A few moments after Ben left the steamy room, Rey emerged dressed in her Ach-Tu clothes. The light tunic and grey pants left little to the imagination, the vest and belt completed the ensemble tastefully, her arm wraps still covered her remaining scars from her past. The only scar she proudly exposed was the one she received on the _Supremacy,_ mostly because she thought it made her look tough.

Ben tried preventing his gaze from slipping to Rey’s collarbone, or worse, to the base of the V of her shirt. Rey felt flattered at how easily she could make Ben drool over her.

Rey’s hair was wet and wavy, she towel dried it out vigorously.

“Thanks for the towel, it’s so absorbent!”

“Any time,” Ben responded with a smile.

Rey walked over to where Ben was sitting at the engineering booth and sat on his lap. Ben was taken aback by her forwardness but he didn’t dare complain.

Rey ran her fingers through Ben’s hair, tucking it behind his ears which bore the slightest hint of red.

“I love these ears.” Rey gently grabbed Ben’s ears until Ben smiled.

Rey moved her hands to the side of Ben’s face, she stared directly into his eyes. “I love that smile even more.”

“This smile?” Ben smiled goofily.

“Yes, you goof. And what I love more than that are your eyes.”

“These dull things?” Ben blinked a few times for display.

“The light catches them in a way that’s magical.”

“The light does that with every inch of you.”

“Oh, stop it you cheeser.”

“Cheeser?”

“Yes, cheeser. Oh, we’re almost there!”

“Yep, you took a long shower.”

“Not that long.”

“You’re right, it wasn’t _thaaaaat_ long I just think the ETA computers were a bit off. We’ll be out of lightspeed any minute.”

Rey stood from Ben’s lap and ran to the cockpit, she couldn’t wait to see Naboo.

Ben joined Rey and sat down in the worn copilot seat, sinking slowly into the chair. He gestured for Rey to join him in the pilot’s seat.

“You sure you don’t want to take the pilot’s seat? You are the better pilot after all.”

“Nope, I’m good here.”

“Alright, it’s just that it’s your father’s ship and everything.”

“No, it’s okay. Just focus on pulling us out of lightspeed. Okay?

 “Okay.” Rey pulled them out of lightspeed with ease. The _Falcon_ soared towards Naboo with gusto.

“It’s beautiful!”

“It is.”

The _Falcon_ entered the planet’s atmosphere and began looking for a place to land.

“I’ve never seen a planet this green.”

Ben took a mental tally of the planets Rey had been on.

  1. _Jakku, 2. Takodana, 3. Starkiller, 4. Ach-to, 5. Crait, 6. Yavin IV, 7. Celanon._



“You’ve been on green planets before though.”

“I have, but this is a whole other kind of green. It’s fresh and vibrant. There aren’t very many trees but there’s so much water!” Rey nearly jumped out of her seat at the sight of a waterfall.

“It’s really is gorgeous here.” Ben always loved the feeling of flying over a new planet, those first few moments after you enter the atmosphere were serene. There was simply nothing else like it. You feel excited from seeing all the settlements, the creatures, the cruisers, the trees, the mountains, the suns, the moons, the skyscrapers, the flowers, the valleys, the lakes, rivers, oceans, waterfalls. It didn’t matter what kind of planet you were on, Ben loved taking it all in.

“Where should I land us?”

“I was thinking in Theed.”

“Is that where Padme was from?”

“No, her residence was in lake country but Theed is the capital, so it should be promising.”

“Sounds good to me. What way?”

“Follow the Solleu river and we’ll get there eventually.” Ben pointed out the river and Rey followed it. After a few minutes of soaring, they came across a city of domes and towers that backed up to the side of a cliff.

“Wow, those buildings look so incredible.”

“Some of the best architects in the galaxy once resided on Naboo, before they were drafted to the Empire,” Ben informed Rey. He loved being able to share history with her.

 

***

 

Rey landed the ship just outside the city.

Rey pulled on a grey hooded poncho to cover her hair as a disguise.

Ben walked as he was, still looking like a true Solo, no one would recognize him. The only thing he did to assist his disguise was handing his lightsaber over to Rey, she hid it under her poncho. Ben placed a gun in his holster, really completing the Han Solo look.

The pair meandered through the streets of Naboo.

The planet felt peaceful, quiet and at ease. While it was still heavily populated by all kinds of wildlife, the air was tepid and warm. Little conflict lived on the planet and the couple felt calm themselves.

Rey looked in wonder at all the beautiful buildings, arches, and flowers. The waterways that flowed through the city were highways for marine creatures of all sorts, but they were also host to boats.

Gondolas, Ben had called them.

“I love it here,” Rey said to Ben, smelling a flower box as she walked by it. Flowers were not something she had ever had the chance to enjoy before, but the smell of them made her nose tingle and her breath sigh.

“I do too. It’s so calm, so pure, untouched.”

“Where are we going?”

“I want to find the queen.”

“The queen?!”

“Not so loud, yes the queen. She’ll be able to grant us access to supplies. Food, water, things we need.”

“Even when she finds out who you are?”

“I’m not telling her who my relatives are.”

“I didn’t mean that. Don’t you think she’ll recognize you?”

“Probably. I don’t know. I haven’t really planned it out yet.”

“Great. So, go to the queen with no plan is really the plan?”

“Why not?” Ben shrugged.

“Sometimes you can be too carefree, like your father.”

Ben didn’t respond to Rey, he was starting to wonder if his dad didn’t just clone himself and let his mother grow the clone for nine months in her womb.

Ben and Rey walked through the streets of Naboo hand in hand, not worried about being robbed or kidnapped for the first time in what felt like centuries.

The made their way to Theed Royal Palace.

“So, anyone can just waltz right in?” Rey asked.

“I guess so. There’s no security or anything. Maybe everyone here is really just that nice.”

The round buildings and high arches greeted the couple as they made their way past the towering statues that stood before the palace.

Rey and Ben made their way into the palace’s courtyard. They came across a few of the queen’s handmaidens. The servants spared them no second look before continuing their mission, whatever it was.

Rey and Ben walked down the hall the handmaidens had emerged from, Ben felt like he was being pulled somewhere. Led by memories that didn’t belong to him.

 _This way._ Ben lead Rey left, down a hall. Then right, up a flight of stairs, then left once again. Suddenly, they were in a large room with many windows and a few chairs. The chairs sat in a circle around a woman with a white face, red lips, and a black and white gown.

“Who are you?” The white-faced woman asked.

Ben cleared his throat.

“My name is Ben and uh, this is my wife Rey.” Ben’s voice sounded unconvincing but the queen didn’t seem to see the discrepancy.

Rey shot Ben a nervous glance, her cheeks flushing with uncertainty.

Ben bowed and kneeled before the queen and her comrades, Rey mirrored Ben’s move.

“Rise and come closer.” The queen called the couple with her finger.

Ben and Rey walked towards the queen carefully. Ben strutted with confidence, Rey walked like a baby deer. Unsure and shaky. She glanced at the rotting faces of the queen’s comrades, they seemed nice enough but far too ancient.

“How did you get in here?”

“You didn’t exactly have a front door,” Ben responded.

One of the old comrades spoke on the queen’s behalf, “You mean to say, you just walked in off the street?”

“Yes sir,” Ben turned his attention to the old man. “You don’t exactly have excellent security either.”

“Ho-“ The old man began before the queen promptly cut him off.

“How did you find this room? Of all the rooms in the castle, you found my throne room, our meeting room. It’s purposefully located here so that people won’t think to look in the side tower if they’re orchestrating an attack. Who exactly are you?”

“I can’t tell you how I knew to come here exactly.”

“So, you mean to say you’re with the First Order?”

“No, not the First Order,” Rey spoke up.

“I’ll take your word for it. Naboo doesn’t muddle with First Order anything. We block their broadcasts and ignore their messy news.”

“That’s very brave of you your majesty.”

“Thank you, young sir.”

Ben refrained a chuckle. _Young sir, I’m probably twice your age._

 _Ben, pay attention to her._ Rey interrupted Ben’s thoughts, forcing his attention back to the youthful queen.

“Why did you come here today and where are you coming from, Ben and Rey?”

“We just came to visit your beautiful planet,” Rey responded. Her words were somewhat true so she felt no shame for speaking them.

“No one comes to visit a planet to see the beauty of it anymore. That practice died seventy years ago, along with peace in the galaxy.”

“We like to think of ourselves as old fashioned.”

“Old fashioned indeed, considering the hilt of the lightsaber that’s tucking out from beneath your wife’s poncho and the Kyber crystal around her neck.”

“Your worshipfulness, we mean you no harm.”

“I believe you, although I don’t believe your origin story and why exactly you’re here.”

“Can we speak to you alone?” Rey requested. The council of people surrounding the queen broke their silence and started berating Rey.  

“Who do you think you are waltzing in here with a saber?” An old woman shouted.

“Get some security!” An old man with a long beard yelled.

“Arrest them until they give us answers!”

“Silence!” The queen screamed, the squeaks in her voice showing her age.

“This is Naboo, we are a peaceful planet. They come in peace, not to kill. They’re unorthodox but need to speak. Who are you.” The queen asked bluntly.

“My name in Ben Solo, and this is Kira Rey.”

Rey was shocked to hear Ben refer to her as Kira, but more shocked to hear him refer to himself by his true name.

“Ben Solo?” A council member whispered.

The queen spoke once again. “Is Han Solo’s son here with his wife to steal some ships from us and never return them?”

“Not exactly.” Ben chuckled.

 _Ben! Your informality is embarrassing._ Rey shot, Ben merely smirked.

“We will give you nothing, Solo. We don’t care if you’re a prince of an extinct planet or not.”

“He’s also the Prince of this planet!” Rey blurted.

“Nonsense, we don’t allow princes on Naboo. Besides, queens are elected and never produce offspring for this very reason. Royal blood is elected to you and dies with you.”

“Was that the case for Padme Amimala?” Rey responded.

“Amimala? I believe you’re trying to say Amidala and yes, that was the case with her. She died before giving birth, her baby didn’t survive and was buried with her.”

Rey glanced over the council, observing the faces of the council members. All of them bore the same expression as the queen, except for one. An old woman with large earrings and a short frame was avoiding eye contact with Rey and looking away. Rey felt in every bone of her body that the woman knew something.

“You,” Rey pointed. “You know something.”

Ben interfered Rey’s pointed finger, “Rey, pointing is disrespectful.”

“Speak your truth.” The queen demanded, assuming the old woman knew as much as she knew.

“The girl speaks the truth.” The woman announced.

Ben was shocked that anyone who knew the truth about Padme was still alive, given how long ago the secrets occurred.

“Senator Padme Amidala had her babies before death finally beckoned her.”

“Babies?” The queen asked. “Why was this never in our history books?”

“Because the father was unaware the children survived!”

“Who was the father?” The queen broke tradition and was now speaking out of genuine curiosity.

“Anakin Skywalker.”

“Who’s he?” The queen asked.

“He was a Jedi many years ago. Before the dark times. He was assigned to Padme as her protector. They fell in love and were married in the lake country.”

“So why wasn’t the father made aware of his children’s births and what happened to the children?”

The entire council was now as curious as the queen. They all wanted to hear how the tragic love story played out.  

“Anakin Skywalker fell to the dark side. The good man that he once was, was destroyed and replaced by a man in a suit. Darth Vader.”

“Oh my.” The queen gasped. “You’re saying that the queen of Naboo became a senator in the Galactic Senate and fell in love with a Jedi of all people. A Jedi who’s not allowed to love, had children, but didn’t know about them? _And_ on top of that, he became Darth Vader!? What happened to the babies?”

“I guess you haven’t put the puzzle pieces together, huh your majesty?” The old woman spoke degradingly to the young ruler.

The queen let her head shake speak for her.

“Very well, I’ll walk you through this young man’s family tree. Anakin Skywalker married Padme Amidala. Padme gave birth to twins on the day of the rise of the empire. The twins were separated at birth and sent to opposite corners of the galaxy. One was named Luke Skywalker; Luke was sent to Tatooine to live under his father’s stepbrother’s care. The other child was named Leia Organa, she was adopted by the Organa’s and grew up as Princess of Alderaan. Princess Leia eventually fell in love with a smuggler, Han Solo, and gave birth to their son Ben Solo. Ben Solo stands before you with his wife, a changed man. Does that put it in perspective for you?”

“That is a very complicated family tree, Ben Solo.”

The old woman spoke up once again. “If you were to meddle with First Order business you would know that the man and woman who killed Supreme Leader Snoke last month were, in fact, Rey, a scavenger from Jakku, and Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren was Supreme Leader for a month, but a few days ago was publicly discovered to have killed Snoke. His identity of Ben Solo was released along with that information.”

“So, you’re meaning to tell me that the descendant of Padme Amidala, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and ex-Supreme Leader of the First Order is standing before me?” The queen was shocked, this was not how she thought this day would go.

“This is so complicated,” The queen turned towards one of her comrade’s. “Tell me again why our palace doesn’t have a front door or security?”

The comrade shrugged. “Never needed one until now.”

The queen turned her attention back towards the old woman, who had finally spoken the long-held truth. “How did you know all of Ben’s family history, Aaushi?”

“I was there for most of it, by Padme’s side, I was young at the time. A teen myself, but I was still around and loved the gossip. I disclosed the secrets to no one until today, I didn’t want to put myself, or the Skywalker babies in danger because of what I knew.”

“How’d you know about Ben Solo and Kylo Ren?”

“Like I said, I like gossip. The HoloNet has all the news.”

The awestruck queen shook her head, “Alright. Thank you Aaushi. Now, Ben Solo and Rey, what do you want from us?”

“Refuge,” Ben responded, still surprised at how the previous moments had played out.

“And Secrecy,” Rey added.

“I can’t grant you that if you stay here in Theed.”

“I would like to request if we could go to my grandmother’s residence.”

“Yes, you may stay there. That is perfect. It’s been untouched since her passing so it’ll be like a museum in there. There are cleaners who come once a week to maintain the residence so I can assure you, it’s not going to be a dusty mess.”

“Thank you, your majesty,” Rey responded.

“Is that all you seek from me?”

“Before we go, I would like to see my grandmother’s final resting place.”

“Very well. I will show it to you myself.” The queen stood, waving a hand at the council. “Begone, I will show them the tomb and then they will be on their way.” The council members walked off in separate directions, many of them gossiping about Padme and her scandalous life.

“Now that we’re alone I can be myself. Ugh finally!” The queen broke her once formal tone and suddenly seemed her age. She took a sleeve of her heavy dress and wiped her white face, with three wipes all her makeup had been erased, revealing a young woman playing dress up.

The queen untied a sash and her dress fell, revealing a tunic and skirt over a pair of leggings and boots.

“You can call me Meydey, Mey for short.”

“Alright, nice to meet you, Mey.” Rey was easily accepting of Mey’s transformation. Ben was more taken aback, unsure how to react to the queen’s sudden casualness.

“Can I see your lightsaber?”

“Uh, I’d rather not show it off.,” Ben answered.

“Pleasseeee?” Mey begged.

“You can look, but you can’t touch.” Ben took the saber from Rey and showed it to the queen.

“Can you turn it on?” The queen asked delicately.

“Ben, just turn it on,” Rey pressed.

“Okay, jeeze.” Ben ignited the saber.

“Woah! Its red? I thought you were supposed to be a good guy.”

“Well, I was Kylo Ren. My saber used to be blue but when I made the crystal bleed I kind of broke it. It turned red and fiery, no longer smooth or refined.”

“Wow, that’s cool. Alright, you want to see your grandma’s tomb? This way.”

Mey practically skipped through the halls as she led the couple to the tomb.

“So, you guys are Jedi but you’re married? Isn’t that against the rules?”

“Well, we aren’t exactly Jedi and we’re also not exactly married. Ben just said that.”

“If you’re not Jedi and you’re not married what are you?”

Rey didn’t really know what they were, what she or Ben could be considered anymore.

“We’re just Force users who are a little more than friendly together.”

“Oh, I get it. You haven’t defined the relationship yet.” The queen giggled.

 _How old is she?_ Rey thought to Ben.

_Around fourteen._

_No kidding._

The trio arrived at a big set of stairs. At the top of the stairs was a large cement arch with the name ‘Amidala’ carved into it.

The trio climbed the stairs carefully and entered the large tomb.

The room was dark, a single stained-glass window was the sole source of light. The air was sad and thick, the room failed to represent Naboo’s vibrant life.

Ben walked deeper into the room, towards his grandmother’s bed.

Rey felt apprehensive about how Ben would react to seeing his grandmother’s burial site.

Padme was buried within a stone case; the top of the case was a mold of her resting body. Ben looked at the sculpted cement, his grandmother really was beautiful. He noticed a necklace that had been carved into the stone, it rested just between her hands.

“Interesting necklace.”

“Oh yeah, Padme was buried with it. It was given to her when she was still queen, around fourteen. She wore it till she died, even in death, it still rests around her neck. A symbol of eternal life and love.”

Rey walked up to Ben’s side, he was so lost in thought he didn’t even notice her until she spoke.

“Are you okay?”

“I thought I’d find answers here. Like you with the cave, all I’ve been greeted with are more questions.”

Rey placed her delicate touch firmly on Ben’s strong shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay.”

“I know, thank you.”

The queen twisted on the balls of her feet, “So, are we done here?”

“Yes,” Ben replied promptly.

“Thank you for your kindness, Mey. We’ll be headed back to the _Falcon_ now, if the First Order or any bounty hunters come for a visit, please alert us so we can leave and not put anyone on Naboo at risk or in danger.” Rey spoke on behalf of both her and Ben, trying to remember her manners.

“Absolutely. Enjoy the lake country!”

Rey and Ben left the tomb and headed back towards the rust bucket. Sunset was upon them, filling the streets of Naboo with rich, golden sun. The waterways glowed while the flowers tucked themselves in for the night.

Rey and Ben reached the _Falcon_ by nightfall and took off towards lake country in silence, digesting the day slowly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are loving this as much as me. (lol you're probably not but as long as I'm having fun writing it I'll keep updating.) Thank you so much for your support and reading my chapters before I post them to make sure they're not absolute trash @kylandadragan


	15. The Lake Country

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey have a relaxing day for once. Taking a deep breath is calming when there's no one coming after them, but is this the calm before the storm?...

Ben and Rey landed the _Falcon_ on the soft grass that grew across the lake from Padme’s old residence.

Her residence was constructed on an island and could only be reached by boat.

When Ben and Rey landed, they decided to spend the night aboard the ship and depart for the residence in the morning.

 

***

 

It was sunrise when Rey rose from her deep sleep. She managed to dream of palaces, green hills, climbing trees, and learning to swim. Pleasant dreams, all of which she enjoyed with Ben through their complex connection.

Rey carefully stood, trying not to disturb Ben, who was still peacefully asleep. She pulled on her old boots and tightened her arm wraps before greeting the morning air at the bottom of the _Falcon’s_ ramp.

Her boots picked up water from the dewy grass as she walked to the calm shore of the lake.

The light was golden and the sky was red, the hills and mountains surrounding her were glowing with the same rich sunlight.

Rey sat crisscrossed on the cool, damp sand. The sand was coarse and nothing like the fine sands of Jakku. This sand was ridden with rocks and other particles, but Rey didn’t mind.

She placed her hands on her knees, palms up, and began meditating. She calmed herself, breathing in the cool morning air.

Birds chirped and reptiles croaked, Rey opened her eyes to look out across the vast lake. A thin layer of fog hung low, blanketing the lake in mystery.

Rey could see the old residence and its island, it looked like a magnificent palace to her. The architecture was beautiful, domes and arches galore. Lovely vines and flowers grew along the arches and large windows greeted the morning light like an old friend. The palace looked magical and Rey couldn’t wait to explore it.

Just behind her, she heard footsteps moving through the damp grass.

“Morning my Rey of light.”

Rey smiled at Ben’s cheesy line. He couldn’t be serious? But he was.

“Morning Ben, I was just meditating before you woke up”

“I know, I actually woke up when you did, I just wanted you to have your own headspace for a few, I also didn’t feel like opening my eyes just yet.”

“You could’ve joined me to meditate though, that surely would’ve helped you wake up.”

“Tomorrow I’ll join you. Now, when do you want to go explore the palace?”

“I want to see it as soon as possible! It looks beautiful, especially in this morning light.”

“It does. Let’s get the poncho back on your shoulders and gather our things, then we can find a boat and go.”

“Why do I need to wear my poncho?” Rey asked like a child not wanting to wear their jacket outside on a cold day.

“Because it’s cold this morning and I don’t want you to get sick.”

Rey nodded, she wasn’t used to having to cover up to prevent falling ill. Jakku was always warm, so she never had to think about it before.

Rey and Ben walked back onto the _Falcon_ and began gathering their things.

Bringing the droids to the residence by boat would be difficult, especially considering they’d be accompanied by their other miscellaneous bags, so they opted to leave them behind for now.

Ben also decided to leave his mask on the _Falcon_ , as well as his black clothes. He had no need for them here.

Rey, on the other hand, didn’t trust leaving anything behind. She took everything with her, which to be fair, wasn’t much.

Rey carefully packed up the books, her few pairs of clothes, her brush, Ben’s towel, and her blanket into a bag. She also brought with her her staff and Kyber necklace, which hadn’t left its place on her neck since she received it.

“You finally ready?” Ben asked impatiently as he tapped his foot on the dark floor of the _Falcon_.

“Yeah, I just had to make sure I didn’t forget anything!”

“Rey, we can come back to the ship if we need something. I’m leaving my things here, I’m ninety-nine percent sure the palace is going to have everything we need anyway.”

“I don’t care, I’m just taking…precautions for the unknown. Besides, I have no right sorting through your grandmother’s clothes so I had to make sure to bring my own.”

“My grandmother’s clothes are your clothes now, I permit you to take whatever you want of hers.”

“Who’s to say I’ll even fit what she had?”

“I’m pretty sure you’d fit her things. You’re so small, you’d fit anything.”

Rey blushed, he had a point.

 

***

 

Ben and Rey walked down the ramp of the _Falcon_ with their things, in search of a boat. They walked along the perimeter of the lake until they found a small dock that had an equally small boat, perfect for the voyage.

The boat was wooden and long, large enough for three or four people to sit comfortably.

Rey climbed in carefully, not wanting to tip the boat after Ben told her that was a possibility.

Ben climbed in after Rey, grabbing the oars to steer them towards their destination.

He began paddling them towards the palace, in the beginning, Ben was having a difficult time figuring out the mechanics of making the boat go straight. At one point he even started steering them in a circle, Rey just assumed Ben knew how to paddle the boat and figured going in a circle was part of the experience.

Over the course of the ten-minute boat ride, Ben felt constant embarrassment at his sailing skills. Piloting a ship he could do, but an old-fashioned boat? He couldn’t do that well enough to even try to fake it. Rey on the other hand, couldn’t stop admiring the boat during the whole ride. Its long shape fascinated her. The wood in the front of the boat curled and was painted gold and red, the rest of the boat had small engravings in it as well. Depictions of flowers and vines decorated the entire length of the little boat.

After many grueling minutes of paddling and maneuvering, Ben finally docked them on the island.

He looked up at the residence in wonder, the flowers had finally woken to greet the day and the beaming couple.

Rey heaved her bag out of the boat and carried herself up the stairs of the residence with her staff in hand. Ben followed, after tying the boat up. The last thing they wanted was for the boat to float away and be stranded on the island for all eternity, or until they gained the motivation to swim to shore.

Ben walked alongside Rey into the courtyard of the palace, a fountain lay in the middle. Stone mermaids spitting water stood in the middle of the fountain, lily pads floated in the dark water alongside a green bird.

Red flowers on green vines grew up the magnificent stone arches that lead the couple inside.

Ben found another set of stairs through an open walkway in the palace, Rey followed him from the courtyard, through the hallway, to the balcony and stairs. The stairs climbed through the trees to an upper level of the old residence. At the top of the stairs was yet another balcony with short cement rails and painted pottery as plant pots.  

Rey was entranced by the view the balcony looked out over, she could see past the foggy lake and the _Falcon_ to the tall mountains in the distance. The green hills leading up to the mountains were painted with pastel flowers, the sound of a distant waterfall rumbled in Rey’s ears.

While Rey was taken aback by the view, Ben was more interested in what lay behind the floor to ceiling windows.

He walked under a rose arbor to the large glass door that hosted a smooth silver handle. Heavy pastel purple curtains were drawn on the inside of the windows, so what lay behind the doors was a mystery to Ben.

He pulled the handle gently and opened the door, relieved the seemingly delicate door wasn’t locked.

The sweet smell of flowers and an end of summer breeze greeted Ben when he first opened the door. He walked into the room waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. From what he could tell at first glance, the space the door opened up to was a bedroom and lounge space.

Ben walked over to the far wall of the room and tugged on a rope. The rope lifted the heavy curtains letting the morning sun flow into the light-deprived room.

The room was magnificent, a large canopy bed lay on the wall adjacent to the windows. It’s purple satin sheets, fluffy duvet, and vast arrangement of pillows looked irresistible, but Ben refrained himself. The tulle canopy fluttered in the faint breeze that filled the room from the unlatched door.

The rest of the room suited royalty, that much was obvious.

A large fireplace constructed from river rock and the ornate furniture surrounding it was the focal point of the room.

Rey joined Ben in the spectacular room with awe. She’d never seen anything so beautiful.

“Ben, I can’t believe how beautiful this room is! Padme had great style! Look, there are even roses on the bedside table.”

Ben walked over to the closet that was still filled with dresses belonging to Padme.

“She really did have great style, look at that stitch work!”

Rey looked at the breathtaking dresses with her jaw practically on the floor. A part of her wanted to play dress up, the other part wanted to respect what belonged to the dead.

“You can try them on if you want?”

Rey appreciated the offer but decided it wasn’t appropriate for the time.

“Maybe later?”

“As you wish,” Ben said with a smile.

The pair continued exploring the house, coming across many rooms filled with art and vases. Large bathrooms and showers, many large closets filled with an assortment of clothing were discovered as well.

Finally, the pair made it to the main foyer. To their right, was a sitting room that led into the formal dining room. On the left, was the large kitchen that just so happened to be fully stocked, it appeared the queen prepared the castle for their arrival. She didn’t want to leave them high and dry.

“Do you want me to make us breakfast? I’m a great cook.” Ben suggested.

“Sure! Maybe while you do that I could grab some of the Jedi texts and we can look them over while we eat?”

“Sounds good, I’ll starts on the eggs. Does eggs and…” Ben looked through the fridge looking for something appropriate to eat for breakfast. “Eggs and pears with caf sound good to you?”

Rey had never had fresh eggs, or pears, or caf before, so she eagerly agreed.

 

***

 

Rey headed back to Padme’s bedroom to grab her bag. She’d dumped it there before venturing around the rest of the house with Ben. She hadn’t wanted to be bogged down by the weight of it.

Rey opened the bag, spilling its contents all over the floor. Rey felt like she had a lot of things but when Rey looked up into Padme’s open closet door, she was reminded of just how little she actually had.

Rey grabbed a few of the texts and stood for the door when one of Padme’s dressed caught her eye.

Rey placed the books on the black wooden coffee table, in line with the grain, and walked towards the closet in a trace.

Rey opened the other door of the boudoir and looked at all of the dresses. Rey assumed these were Padme’s favorite dresses because they were accessible through her personal bedroom. While exploring the residence, Rey and Ben had stumbled across many storage closets that were filled exclusively with Padme’s outfits.  

The royal blue and light chiffon fabrics greeted Rey’s delicate touch as she ran her scarred fingers over the soft materials. Rey could only imagine how beautiful the woman who wore them must’ve been. Ornate hairstyles must’ve accompanied such ornate dresses as well.

Rey’s fingers found the dress that had called to her moments before. It was white and made of a rougher material and thick fabric. The dress wasn’t form fitting but was tight enough to loosely hug the wearer’s curves. Its neckline swooped gently, intended to expose some cleavage but tastefully. The dress hung on the hanger, paired with a separate piece intended to accompany the look. This piece was also white and would lay over the shoulders like a cloak while attaching the sleeves of the main dress, arm wraps also went with the look. Rey assumed the arm wraps were what initially called to her because they felt so familiar.

Rey thought to Ben and shortly after that, she felt the hair raise on the back of her neck. Rey took a deep breath as she welcomed the sense deprivation the Force connection offered.

Ben seemed annoyed with the sudden connection as he was preparing some eggs in a frying pan.

“Why is the Force connecting us now? I’m trying to not burn the eggs! I already burnt one batch.”

“I thought you said you were a good cook?”

“I was, I just haven’t cooked in ages and I don’t want to disappoint you!”

“Ben, it’s okay. Don’t get so exasperated. I’ll be there in a second, maybe the Force will end the connection when we walk into the same room.”

“Maybe, you grab the books?”

“Yeah, I got them.”

“Are you looking at her dresses?”

“How’d you know?”

“I can just tell. Don’t feel bad, try one on. They’re just gathering dust sitting there, put them to use if you’d like.”

“Alright, I will.”

The bond was still open when Rey pulled off her boots, by the time she got to the waistband of her pants it had closed.

Rey quickly undressed and redressed as fast as she could because she didn’t want her food to grow cold or to leave Ben waiting.

She pulled on the white arm wraps that accompanied the ensemble over her scarred arms. A part of Rey wished there was a way to remove them, but they were still a good reminder of where she came from.

Rey found a pair of white boots and pulled them on as well. They were a perfect fit, somehow.

Rey grabbed the books and made her way to the kitchen as she tried to not trip on the dress.

She found Ben sitting at the kitchen island, waiting patiently for Rey to join him poking his eggs.

He seemed to be lost in thought, not noticing Rey’s sudden presence in the room.

Rey moved over to the seat beside Ben and dropped the heavy books on the white marble countertop. Only then, did Ben break his concentration from whatever he was thinking about so deeply. Considering he had been trying so hard to not project his thoughts, Rey knew whatever it was, was personal and troubling him. She decided not to prod at him though, in an effort to avoid upsetting him further.

Ben turned his attention from his and Rey’s plates of food to Rey’s dress.

“Wow, you look- “

Rey was already blushing.

“I know it’s not exactly me. I’ve never worn a dress before.”

“Stunning. You look absolutely breathtaking.”

“It’s just a dress Ben.”

“I know, I still love it though.” Ben examined the look closer. “Arm wraps?”

“Yeah, the whole thing hung as an ensemble in the closet. The arm wraps just came with it.”

“That’s cool, it looks like it was made for you…the dress.”

Ben let his eyes slip to the swooping neckline of the dress until he felt Rey notice his relocated gaze. He promptly relocated his graze to the freckles that danced on Rey’s cheeks.

“Uh, Rey. Why do you always wear arm wraps? Why not just go bare now that you’re free of Jakku and no longer in danger of a sunburn?”

“I just don’t like my arms, okay.”

“Why not?”

“Why don’t you like your ears?” Rey shot back.

“So, you mean to say that your arms stick out all funny and are too large for your body?”

“No, it’s not that…it’s just.” Rey’s hand rested at the top of one of the arm wraps, she considered slipping it off to let her scars speak for themselves.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I won’t press you.” Ben assured Rey.

Rey untied the arm wrap, exposing her bare skin to the cool Naboo morning air.

At first, Ben didn’t notice anything different about her arms from anyone else’s, then his eye caught sight of a small scar on the back of Rey’s wrist. Then another larger one, then discolorations and uniquely textured skin. His eyes traveled up her arm, catching sight of her multitude of scars, caused by multiple burns and slices. Similar scars decorated Ben’s own body.

Ben carefully moved his gentle touch over to Rey’s exposed arm, Rey glanced away in embarrassment.

Ben delicately moved the back of his finger over her arm, unsure if his effort was okay.

Rey turned her head and stared deeply into Ben’s unsure eyes, she nearly got lost in the swirling colors that stared back at her.

“You’re beautiful Rey, every bruised or scarred inch of you.”

“Maybe someday I’ll be able to erase the scars. Maybe we could even fix up your face.”

“No, I don’t want my scar removed. It’s a reminder. A reminder of who I was, who I could still become. A reminder of you. It’s a thing I don’t want to forget, don’t want erased.”

“How many scars do you have Ben?”

“One hundred and twenty-three.”

“Wow.” Rey stared back at her eggs. “That’s a lot more than I have.”

“Do you want to start eating?”

Rey nodded her head, glancing at the utensils that rested beside her plate. She still didn’t really understand how to use them, but she tried her best. Rey picked up her fork and stabbed the egg, it exploded with juice.

“Ahh, I killed it! I didn’t know eggs were alive!”

Ben laughed, “They’re not, that’s just the yolk. If the eggs were perfectly cooked, they do that.”

“Oh,” Rey felt embarrassed for her dramatic reaction. She picked the whole egg up on her fork and shoveled it into her mouth, leaning over the plate to avoid spilling the leaking yolk on her dress. Rey chewed and swallowed the big bite while Ben just looked at her in shock as he cut his egg into a small, bite-sized piece.

Rey, still swallowing, turned to look at Ben as yolk dribbled its way down her chin.

Ben couldn’t help but laugh as he grabbed a napkin and wiped Rey’s yolky chin.

“Usually, we use the knife and cut our food into smaller pieces.”

Rey nodded, feeling utterly embarrassed at her lack of manners. She wished she had taken the time to listen to Leia’s instructions when she’d tried teaching Rey how to use utensils.

“You want to try a pear?” Ben asked as he used the Force to lift a pear from the fruit basket in the corner of the kitchen.

“Sure, how do I eat it?”

“However you like.” Ben cut the pear in half and floated the other half over to Rey’s hand. Rey caught the pear mid-flight and took a bite.

“Ooh, it’s good.” Rey went to take another bite but Ben stopped her before she ate the stem and seeds.

“We don’t eat that part. The middle with the seeds, we throw that part away.”

“Oh.” Rey decided whenever she ate from now on, she’d let Ben take a bite first so that she wouldn’t be caught using incorrect etiquette or eating the food in an inappropriate manner.

“Don’t feel bad, we’ve all done it. Now, let’s have a look at those books of yours.”

Rey slid one of the books over to Ben as she took another bite of her pear.

Ben grabbed the white bounded book and looked at the inscriptions on the cover, he’d seen the book before, many years ago.

“This one explains the customs of a Jedi. It basically tells you how to celebrate a Padawan’s birthday appropriately, how to dress as a Jedi, exile and punishment, initiation trials, and abstinence.”

“Oh, I’m not interested in that stuff as much. What about this one?” Rey slid a brown book, with withered pages, over to ben.

“Oh wow!” Ben took a sip of his coffee before opening the cover of the book. “This one is talking about the Prime Jedi.” Ben slid the book back to Rey for her to look at a drawing within it.

Rey gazed at the familiar image. A person of balance, half dark, half-light, a saber dividing the image. She recognized it from the first Jedi temple.

“I’ve seen that image before, it was in the first Jedi temple on Ahch-To. It was like this mosaic sort of art that had a bed of water over it.”

Ben nodded, “That’s the Prime Jedi. Half dark, half-light, perfectly balanced. Many tried achieving the balance but ultimately failed, seduced to one side or the other. It’s nearly impossible to maintain a perfect balance between the powerful light, and powerful darkness. Only one did it successfully, the first of the Jedi Order. In the end, he was ultimately destroyed by both of his apprentices. One fell to the light, the other to the dark. Thus, began the Sith and the Jedi as we know it.”

“Wow, do you think we could become Prime Jedi?”

“No.”

“But you’ve said it yourself before, I’m light but I’ve called on the dark. It’s the same with you, you’re dark but there’s still so much light festering within you.”

“True, but let’s try imagining us as mixed paints. Black and white. When you mix the paint concoction you become a light grey. Mostly light with a hint of dark, whereas I’m a dark grey. I’m mostly dark with a little light.”

“Alright, so together we’re perfectly grey. What if together, we make a Prime Jedi and that’s why we’re bonded.”

Ben was surprised at how much Rey’s theory made sense.

“Huh, maybe.”

“Do any of these books talk about Force Bonds?”

“Uhhh, I don’t think so.” Ben flipped through all of the ancient texts. “It doesn’t look like it. I’ve only ever heard of a Force Bond once or twice before, but it was nothing like ours.”

“What stories have you heard regarding Force Bonds?”

“Well, my mother and Luke are one of the two Force Bond stories that are _somewhat_ similar to ours.”

“They’re bonded?”

“Yes, well sort of. They can sometimes hear each other’s thoughts or call out to each other from across the galaxy. Turns out Luke had also had a similar bond with Vader.”

“Oh, interesting. What was the other case?”

“I discovered it when I was going through the Jedi archives many years ago. It was really a complicated story.”

“Tell me, we’ve got time.”

Ben told Rey the story of Bastila and Revan to the best of his abilities, the story left Rey in awe.

“Wow, are those the only cases of Force Bonds?”

“Well, the only ones vaguely similar to ours. It wasn’t uncommon for Jedi masters to develop weak a bond with their Padawans. But none of those were as intense as ours is.”

“So basically, you’re saying that apparating across the galaxy is unheard of in regards to a Force Bond?”

“Essentially, yes.”

“Well that’s interesting, can you ever feel pain across the bond?”

“Not sure, guess we’ll find out.”

“Ya, I guess we will.”

Rey closed the old text, feeling done with reading. “Well, Ben. It appears I am all dressed up and you are still looking like a smuggler. Let’s remedy that?”

“I doubt there will be anything here for me. It was my grandmother’s residence.”

“Indeed, it was, and your grandmother was married to Anakin, who was, in fact, a man and I’m sure he wore clothes.”

“Remember they married in secret? He probably didn’t have clothes lying around her place.”

“I disagree, this would be the perfect place for him to have clothes ‘lying around’. No one from the Jedi council were waltzing in here except him.”

“You have a point.”

“Come back to her room and we can see what we can find.”

“Fine, don’t be surprised when nothing we manage to stumble across fits.”

“You are quite massive,” Rey agreed. “Come on, let’s look anyways.” Rey pulled Ben through the palace.

They walked past more arched doorways than Rey could count and up a spiraling staircase that led them right to the entrance of Padme’s bedroom. Rey stopped at the entrance of the room, turning herself around to face Ben where he was stopped, directly behind her.

“What is it?” Ben asked, confused as to why Rey stopped dead in her tracks.

“How did we miss that room?” Rey looked past Ben to a door behind him. The door was tightly shut and looked as though it hadn’t been touched in a century.

Rey slid her slim body past Ben to the closed door, she tried the steel handle. It wouldn’t budge. The door was locked up tight.

“It’s locked.”

“Hmm, okay?” Ben was confused by Rey’s fascination with a closed door. He figured the room was just another closet with more of Padme’s old dresses.

Rey slid past Ben into Padme’s old room, looking for a key that could open the old room. She looked under the mattress, in the bedside tables, even under the rug.

Ben, being sensible, walked over to his grandmother’s jewelry box. He opened the large box to find a wide array of rings and earrings. One specific ring caught his eye, but Ben looked past it in search of a small key.

In the bottom of the box was a single silver key. He took the key and tucked the box away, where Rey wouldn’t find it. The ring was still in the back of his mind and he wanted it to be a surprise when he finally gained the courage to give it to her.

“Found a key.” Ben proposed the key to Rey and she eagerly took it, running over to the large wooden door. She slid the key into the door and turned it.

 _Click_.

The door was unlocked and Rey felt apprehensive about opening the door, she had no clue what would lie behind it.

Gently, Rey nudged the door open.

The open door revealed a room, small and light. The room had yellow walls and just as many windows as the rest of the house. There was a green carpet on the wooden floor that looked soft and plush, like Ben’s towel.

Rey stepped inside.

“It’s a nursery.” Ben looked over to the bassinette in the corner and the baby toys that were scattered around the room.

“One baby bed? Did they not know they were having twins?”

“I suppose not.”

The room felt strange, empty and haunted. The thick dust that layered itself in the room, made all the once bright colors look subdued and pastel. Dead flowers sat in a vase on the windowsill further casting shadows of what could’ve been across the room.

“Imagine if Luke and Leia had grown up in here like they were supposed to.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“I would never have been born. Things would’ve actually been right in the world; the galaxy would’ve made so much more sense.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do, Darth Vader never would’ve risen and the age of the Jedi probably would’ve continued to prosper.”

Rey knew Ben’s words were probably true, hell if Luke and Leia had grown up on Naboo and lived the lives originally intended for them, Rey probably wouldn’t have been born either.

“If Luke and Leia and grown up here I probably wouldn’t have been born either. My parents would never have met in the Rebellion, there wouldn’t have been a rebellion to meet in in the first place.”

“Maybe in another universe they did grow up here, but that universe certainly isn’t the one we’re living in now.”

Ben walked back to Padme’s room feeling somewhat defeated, but mostly curious as to whether or not he’d find what he was looking for.

He started going through Padme’s boudoir, looking for anything that resembled men’s clothing. Lo and behold, there was one drawer filled with men’s clothing. Mostly just t-shirts and lounge pants but at least now he had clothes he could sleep in.

“Find anything good or worthy enough to be worn by you?”

“Just some pajamas.”

“Better than nothing.”

“That’s for sure. Rey?”

“Huh?”

“You a look a bit uncomfortable. Do you maybe want to change into something that’s a little more familiar?”

“Actually, I do.”

Rey walked over to the boudoir, looking for something Padme would’ve treated as loungewear. Rey’s luck was coming up dry as the Jakku desert, but she did manage to find a pair of leggings and a light blouse.

Rey pulled them on, ignoring Ben when she was in nothing but her underwear, along with Padme’s same white boots. As an ensemble, the outfit didn’t look great but when Rey pulled on her old belt and holster it looked more like something she would wear.

Rey pulled her hair up into a loose bun to complete the lazy look.

“Now you look like a smuggler too,” Ben commented.

“Shut up.” Rey joked as she grabbed her dirty laundry.

“I’m going to go to the fountain to do laundry, you want to join me?”

“Do you even have to ask?”

“Well, I figured you might not want to come considering its just laundry.”

“What else am I going to do?”

“Alright, let’s go.”

Rey carried her things through the halls of the palace, Ben followed her closely picking up anything that managed to slip through her grasp.

The couple arrived at the fountain, the water looked dirty to Ben but before he could say anything Rey was already cleaning her clothes.

Ben helped her wash her Jakku pants and tunic she wore with them. He liked helping her with her laundry, it made him feel like he was in a normal relationship.

After laundry, the couple walked along the beach. Rey was going barefoot, excited to feel the damp sand between her toes.

The day was warming up, but threatening clouds loomed in the distance. These clouds were different than the clouds Rey saw on Ahch-Tu. These clouds hung heavily over the mountains, if Rey didn’t know any better she’d go as far to say they withheld monsoon level rain. She was excited for the storm, but for now, she was content just walking with Ben, hand in hand like a couple who wasn’t on the run from a war would do.

Rey took Ben by surprise when she tore her leggings and tunic off.

“Woah, Rey what are you doing?” Ben tried averting his eyes out of respect. He never got over just how comfortable Rey was turning out to be in nothing but her underthings.

Rey started working Ben’s shirt buttons as she removed his vest from his shoulders.

“We, are going for a swim,” Rey said with a kiss to Ben’s soft lips.

“Really?”

“Yeah!”

Ben loved swimming, but it had been years since he’d done it recreationally.

He stripped down to his own underwear and joined Rey where she stood in the water.

“Rey, do you know how to swim?” Ben realized growing up in the desert was by no means good for her swimming skills unless she managed to swim through the sand dunes her AT-AT backed up to.

“I can hold my own.”

“How many times have you actually swum before?”

“Once. But once is enough.”

“Alright, if you say so.”

Ben floated on his back in the warm water, he was surprised at how easy it was to adjust to the water’s temperature.

“Do you think this is a hot spring lake?” Rey asked, surprised at the warm temperature of the lake herself.

“I don’t know, I guess it’s possible. It’s a really large lake for that, but it’s a possibility.”

“Let’s just say it’s a hot spring and not all the fish pee that’s heating this water up.”

Ben’s face turned sour. “I don’t like thinking about fish pee while I’m swimming in a lake that’s a little too warm for comfort.”

Rey laughed, “Sorry.”

Ben’s hair floated around his head calmly as he laid on his back in the water. Rey was still standing stationary, trying to act like she knew how to swim. The last time she’d swam, it was out of necessity because she had to manage her way out of the cave on Ahch-Tu before the tide came in. Even then, her swimming was more like thrashing and choking.

Ben suddenly ducked his head under the water and swam into the darkness.

Rey waited patiently for him to pop up, but she couldn’t see him anywhere. The water wasn’t super clear making the task of finding him all the more difficult.

“Ben?”

Suddenly, Rey was being lifted through the air by Ben.

Ben was laughing while Rey was simply annoyed at his tease.

Ben sat Rey on his shoulders, she held onto his head for balance.

“You scared me!”

“Why? I was just holding my breath.”

“You were down there for ages!”

“Rey, it was like ten seconds, come on let’s get you inside. There’s a current down there so it’s probably not the best day to teach you how to swim, especially considering we’re in for rain.”

“There’s a current in a lake?”

“Yeah, I guess it’s not a lake after all. There’s probably some underwater tunnels or something. Alright, in we go.” Ben carried Rey and their clothes inside. The clouds were rolling in and with them, a strong breeze.

Ben built a fire and the couple dried off in front of it.

They talked about alternate universes for the rest of the day, ultimately avoiding conversation regarding the universe they were currently stuck in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This one's another long one! I know it's not the most exciting chapter but Ben and Rey just needed a day to chill, you know? The next chapter will have some light saber action so get ready for that. :) Thank you so much for still reading, if you've made it this far with me kudos to you! :) <3


	16. The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey has a startling run in with an old friend. Meanwhile, Ben discovers the whereabouts of his knights and gets and unexpected (albeit brief) update on Leia's health.

After talking for the rest of the day, the young couple fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Rey woke on the carpet that lay in the middle of the room. The fire that had been roaring and crackling as the pair dozed off, was now nothing more than a few glowing embers.

Rey shivered and rubbed her shoulders as she sat up from where Ben’s warmth had just been hugging her.

Rey poked Ben to see if he was asleep, he always seemed to be faking rest and was usually up before her. However, Ben didn’t flinch at Rey’s touch, his consciousness still trapped in a deep sleep.

Rey glanced around the dark room, it was still the middle of the night, that much was obvious.

Rey padded her way across the floor of Padme’s old room, she found herself standing before the large windows that looked out across the vast lake and mountains that lay beyond.

The clouds that had threatened their arrival the day before were now looming above the residence, a violent storm would be upon them soon.

The entire sky was blackened, not a single star shone bright enough to break through the menacing darkness.

Rey squinted to catch sight of any form of light across the lake, instead, all she found was her own reflection staring right back at her.

A shadow of a girl Rey barely recognized mimicked her movements, the reflection followed her relentlessly.

Rey was not ashamed of who looked back at her, she just had an impossibly difficult time believing the reflection to be real. The girl she saw in her reflection was strong, fed, soft, fearless, courageous, and in love. The girl, no, the woman who looked back at Rey was unafraid and relentless, she was someone Rey had always imagined being as a child. A woman who stood up for what she believed in, who didn’t run away when things got tough but instead confronted difficult matters head-on.

Rey turned away from the figure in the glass and walked back towards the fireplace. She knelt down as she balanced her tired weight on the balls of her feet.

Rey leaned over and picked up firewood, she tossed it on the hot embers carefully. Rey was trying her best to not wake Ben, who looked to be enjoying his sleep for once.

The heavy wood didn’t ignite, _kriff. I need kindling or something that’ll burn. What can I find?_ Rey walked around Padme’s room, searching for anything that could be used to restart the fire.

When she failed to find what she was looking for, Rey left the room in search of the kitchen.

Making her way through the dark residence at night frightened the still hesitant part of Rey; she could’ve sworn she saw shadows move where they shouldn’t be moving. She even went as far as to think she saw another blue ghost. Rey wrote it off as her imagination, _impossible._

When Rey finally arrived in the kitchen she found the light switch and flicked it on. The kitchen lit up like the inside of the elevator on the _Supremacy_ , bright fluorescent lights illuminated the cool room putting Rey’s nerves at ease.

Rey saw the pile of old texts on the counter where she’d left them the previous morning.

_Maybe you could, no you can’t light the texts on fire. That’s just ridiculous, I’m sure there’s something flammable around here that isn’t irreplaceable and thousands of years old._

Rey continued digging through the kitchen drawers, all she was finding was metal Tupperware and silverware. _Not flammable, hmm, oh clothes could work._

Rey grabbed a lighter from a kitchen drawer and started making her way through the dark halls as quickly as her tired legs could carry her.

Rey hated the way the shadows seemed to play tricks on her in the dark of the moonless night.

The air was thick and unsettling. Rey’s heart rate was climbing as she continued racing through the residence as quietly as possible.

Suddenly, a blue apparition appeared before Rey stopping her dead in her tracks.

Rey froze as quickly as an animal playing dead in the face of danger, she was practically a porg in a pair of headlights.

The blue apparition solidified itself, looking clearer and familiar.

“Ah, Rey from nowhere.”

“Master Skywalker?!”

“I half expected you to pass out from the way you were so afraid before.”

“I didn’t know you’d show up in the middle of the night and scare me to death!”

“Scare you to death? Please, you look pretty alive to me.” Luke chuckled.

“That’s not funny.”

Luke simply shrugged at Rey’s comment.

“So, it seems you’re working closely with my nephew.”

Rey felt almost embarrassed by Luke’s comment, could Force ghosts read minds? Could they see her deepest desires? Her cheeks would be redder than a rose if that were the case.

“The look on your face says a lot. No, I can’t read your mind but I _can_ sense your feelings. You care for the boy?”

“Yes.” Rey felt almost ashamed for having natural feelings, she knew it wasn’t the Jedi way. Love. But she couldn’t help it and she also wasn’t a Jedi; as much as she worried it would disappoint Luke, being a Jedi wasn’t what Rey wanted.

“He cares for you as well, he really was never meant to be a Jedi given some of the things I’m sure he’s been thinking about lately.”

Rey’s jaw dropped and her eyes practically popped out of her head.

“I’m merely stating the facts, Rey.” Luke paused, considering his next words. “It’s interesting, death.”

“How so?”

“I can see all that was,” Luke glanced aside like El had back on Celanon, “and what will be. You have quite an interesting future, as does Ben. It’s one I could’ve never predicted, one no one could’ve successfully guessed it they tried.”

“What do you mean?”

“Some people’s fates are tied together, they’re bound by a thread that’s unbreakable and inescapable. How you go about maneuvering the thread is entirely up to you, I’m just glad you’re unraveling it instead of tying it into an undoable knot.”

“What?”

“Am I going to have to explain everything Rey? You and Ben!”

“We’re bonded, yes I know.”

“You were meant to meet no matter what, that’s been set in stone since the day you were born. I’m just glad that you and he are working together on the same side.”

“We don’t really have a choice.”

“No, you do.”

“He can’t be with the order, I can’t put the Resistance at risk by being with him. I can’t just waltz right back in there with him.”

“Rey, he chose you over the First Order, he’s choosing to keep the last ray of light in life instead of extinguishing it. He’s _chosen_ you, and you chose him by leaving the Resistance.”

“Did I choose wrong?”

“Do _you_ think you chose wrong? When you look back on the choice you made, does it feel like there’s an empty hole in your heart? Does it feel like something is missing?”

“No, I feel more complete than ever before.”

Luke nodded, “That is what choosing Ben has done for you, and remember, you didn’t abandon the Resistance.  You’re still in contact with them and working with them. They just went left and you went right, but your roads intersect eventually.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“I know I am.”

“Man, death made you cocky.”

“I just have a clearer view of the universe now.”

“What are we supposed to do now?” Rey was feeling defeated, she was confident in the decisions she’d made up to this point but parts of her were still so unsure. Still so lost.

“You do whatever you want, I think you should start by working on that saber of yours.”

“I don’t even know where to start with my saber, or how to do it.”

“Well, you’re in luck. You’re currently with someone who does.”

“You?”

“No, the big dummy upstairs.”

“Oh,” Rey suddenly felt ignorant for not thinking of Ben in the first place.

“He’s constructed two sabers in his lifetime so he can help you without a doubt.”

“He’s really made two sabers? How’d he bond with two crystals?”

“I didn’t explain that properly, he constructed one saber when he was training with me. I was amazed at how easily the process came to him. He was always such a natural at the things that were supposed to be difficult or come with time. Anyways, he modified that first saber to the saber you now know and love.”

“Was his saber always fiery?”

“No, it used to be solid and strong. A beautiful blue, in the process of changing it I assume he cracked his crystal. That’s where the crossguards came in, you can ask him more about it yourself though.”

“Thank you, Luke, I will.”

“Remember Rey, always be true to what you believe. Never make decisions based on what you feel pressured to do or not do. Alright?”

Rey nodded, “Don’t hesitate to come around again, but don’t startle me so much next time!”

“I think for now I’ll stay lurking in the shadows, but don’t worry too much, there are so many people that are more interesting to haunt. Besides, you two need your privacy.”

Rey cringed at Luke’s suggestive comment but she was relieved to know he wouldn’t be haunting them all the time.

Before she could thank him, the apparition faded leaving Rey alone, once again, in the dark halls of the residence.

 

***

 

Rey found herself standing in the doorframe of Padme’s room, she tiptoed through the room’s invisible barrier still trying her best to not disturb Ben.

She made her way around the couches and over to the grand fireplace, the embers were still faintly glowing where they sat among the ashes.

Rey pulled her only pair of knickers from her pile of laundry and started shredding them. She carelessly tossed the shreds into the fireplace.

Rey turned when she heard Ben stir, he seemed to still have been asleep when she continued working to rebuild the fire.

Rey lit her underwear pieces ablaze. They, in turn, helped ignite the smaller pieces of wood. A chain reaction had been set off and eventually, the fire was alive and roaring.

The flames danced in the fireplace, twirling and parading. Sparks popped and exploded as they floated sweetly through the cool air of the chimney.

Rey watched the fire continue its ceremonial dance until she slipped back into sleep under the safety of Ben’s strong, limp arm.

She dreamed of the saber she would soon construct. Rey strategically dodged and attacked, spinning the double-bladed saber-staff with ease and confidence in the casualness of the images that played beneath Rey’s sleeping lids.

 

***

 

Ben awakened slowly and calmly.

The hour was still early, the sky was still dark.

Wind bombarded the delicate windows, they shook in fear of the rain that was still threatening its inevitable arrival.

Ben’s arm was still wrapped around Rey, he breathed her calming scent in and glanced toward the fireplace.

Heat was still radiating in the room and hot embers still rested in the bottom of the fireplace. _Did Rey wake up in the middle of the night to rebuild the fire? If the fire was out she should’ve just woken me up to do it, I know where everything is already._

Ben stood cautiously from where he’d fallen asleep many hours before.  He was careful to not disturb Rey, he always woke before her but on this particular morning he had some meditating to do.

Ben stiffly walked over to a large chest that sat in the corner of the room, he stretched his neck on the way.

Sleeping on the hard floor when you’re all muscle doesn’t have the most comfortable side effects.

Ben kneeled down and opened the chest carefully, ensuring the aged wood and rusted hinges wouldn’t creak.

He pulled a large black blanket from the chest and walked back over to Rey, carefully draping the soft blanket over her shoulders.

Ben visited the lavatory before walking to the main sitting room.

The main sitting room was large and open, like the rest of the house, it also had many windows.

The furniture in the room was minimal and uncomfortable, Ben avoided it all together.

He moved parallel to the large window that looked out over the lake and the mountains that lay beyond.

The sitting room was located directly beneath where Padme’s bedroom was so the multitude of windows offered the same vast and beautiful view.

Ben adjusted his grandfather’s sleeping pants on his hips before kneeling down. The grey pants were soft and light making Ben feel flexible.

He sat in the lotus position and placed his hands on his knees, his pale palms faced the white ceiling.

Ben glanced across the dark lake once again as he took in a deep breath, centering himself.

Ben gently let his eyelids fall as he slipped into a meditative state.

His breathing plateaued as his mind began exploring the many signatures of the galaxy. He wasn’t in search of what was immediately around him, Ben was looking for six people in particular. Six specific golden strands of life that belonged to his loyal and faithful knights.

Ben knew they were still all breathing, that much he was sure of, but the state of which they were living was still a mystery.

Ben continued searching for anything familiar, he mentally moved through the charted territories of the galaxy.  

The knights were nowhere to be found in the inner rim territories, suddenly, Ben had the realization that they might’ve hung around in the Yavin system after the events on the _Supremacy._

Ben moved his mental placement to the Yavin system and started scanning the planets for familiarities.

Everything felt barren until Yavin IV.

_Yavin IV, why is everything tracing back to that shithole?_

Ben continued feeling around Yavin IV for his knights, suddenly, on the dorsal side of the planet from where he was comfortable, he found them.

All six strings belonging to his knights were entangled with each other, tied together. _They always were stronger together than apart. Why are they on Yavin IV though? What help does Yavin offer aside from the Resistance which is located on the polar opposite side of the planet? At least they’re safe and together, their life threads seem to be relatively strong except…wait, the string belonging to Azazel seems frayed. That’s why they’re together, he’s injured and they’re healing him. Azazel is the youngest and most impulsive, what idiotic move did he try to pull this time?_

Ben’s concentration moved to the other side of the planet, to the Resistance base.

_Why and I being pulled here?_

Suddenly, Ben’s mental concentration identified and all too familiar thread, the thread of his mother.

Her thread was just as frayed as Azazel’s but it was damaged in a different way. The golden string was dull and green in the middle like it was rotting from the inside out. It looked sick and ghastly.

Ben could suddenly hear his mother’s voice calling out his name, it rung through his ears like a song in the opera house.

“ _Ben…”_

Ben was ripped from his meditative trance by an abrupt crash of thunder.

He felt like he’d been torn from the telling of a story that was crucial and needed to be heard.

Beads of sweat had collected on Ben’s temples, he looked out of the clear window.

Menacing dark clouds continued to roll in, the morning light murdered by the overpowering pitch the clouds were casting.

Bright flashes of light burned in the distance, the windows still shook from the heavy winds of the outside world.

Ben had always known Naboo to be peaceful and calm, threatening weather of any kind was unheard of on this planet. Ben was confused by the threatening storm that would soon be upon them, but he was relieved if it meant he and Rey would have cover from the galaxy for a few extra days.  

Ben stood and let his eyes relax until all he could see in the glass was himself. His unkempt hair had a mind of its own, his unshaven face made him look even more like a smuggler. Ben considered shaving but decided against it given that he had no real reason to shave, no one in the public would be resting their eyes upon his appearance aside from Rey and that was something Ben was quite alright with.

Ben walked into the kitchen and began preparing breakfast for him and Rey. Even if Rey wasn’t conscious yet, she shortly would be and he wanted food to be ready for her when she finally rose.

Ben looked through the icebox and pulled out a carton of eggs and some vegetables.

His mother used to make excellent omelets and he figured now was as good a time as any to give it a try himself. When he was a kid he’d help out in the kitchen sometimes, especially when his mom was home and able to prepare home cooked food for them.

Ben mixed the eggs and poured them into the heated pan.

As Ben flipped and folded the stuffed eggs he felt Rey’s presence stir and hum.

_She’s awake._

He could feel Rey searching for him, Ben projected the thought of the kitchen to Rey. Shortly thereafter, Rey was joining Ben in the kitchen.

Still groggy from her sleep, Rey squinted to see clearly.

She walked behind where Ben was slaving over the stove and wrapped her arms around his abdomen.

Rey cataloged all the scars that peppered Ben’s back, along with his moles. He really did have a lot of scars, it made her feel better about her own damaged skin.

Ben appreciated the warm embrace but focused on flopping the omelets off the stove before truly burning them. He plated the food and turned around to give Rey the attention she deserved.

His large hands found their way to Rey’s mop of hair as his lips found Rey’s morning breath mouth.

“You’re absolutely perfect Rey.”

“Morning to you too, Ben.”

“How’d you sleep?” Ben placed Rey’s plate of food on the marble island and shoved yesterday’s dishes aside.

“Good, whoa what is that?” Rey had never seen a meal like the one Ben had made her,

“It’s an omelet, it’s made from eggs and vegetables. Yesterday the eggs seemed to confuse you a little so I made them easier to fathom.”

Rey giggled, “Thank you.”

“No problem, so you woke up in the middle of the night to rebuild the fire?”

“Yeah, I was cold.”

“You could’ve woken me up to do it.”

“I didn’t want to disturb you, you look so calm when you sleep.”

“Well if that happens again, wake me up and I can take care of you. I’ll always take care of you.”

“Thank you, Ben, but that’s not needed.”

“What’d you use to start the fire again?”

“A lighter and an old pair of knickers.”

“You used your only pair of underwear to start the fire?”

“Well, yeah.”

Ben laughed at how carefree Rey was being.

“Alright, I mean I guess that works. You can use Padme’s underwear till we get some new ones.”

“Ew, I’m not going to use someone else’s underwear! That’s just gross, plus using a dead woman’s underwear is weird.”

Ben hadn’t thought about it like that, “I guess you’re right.” He chuckled.

Ben handed Rey some silverware as he began diving into his own omelet. His was a little burnt and hard to swallow but Rey’s was perfect and he was glad to have been able to provide her with this wonderful food experience.

“So, I saw Luke last night.”

Ben choked on his bite, “What?”

“Your uncle, I saw him.” Rey continued her attempts to mimic Ben’s way of eating the omelet, she was trying desperately hard not to embarrass herself.

_Cut, stab, bite. Cut, stab, bite._

“You…saw Luke…where?” Ben was trying to wrap his mind around the whole idea.

“In the hall, I came to the kitchen to get the lighter and look for kindling or something that I could start the fire back up with. On the way back to our room, I saw him.”

“What’d he have to say?”

“Nothing really, he just talked about _us_ and advised me on working with you to construct my saber.”

 _Us._ Ben loved the words on Rey’s lips so much that he nearly missed the rest of her statement.

“Construct your saber, sure, I can help you with that.”

“Great, I was thinking we could work through it together. I don’t really know where to start or how to do it really. I know you’ve constructed two sabers yourself so you’d be the perfect teacher.”

“I only really made one saber Rey, I just modified it to be what it is now.”

“Luke mentioned that. He also mentioned that it wasn’t always fiery.”

“Nope, it cracked in the process of bleeding my crystal. Too much conflict I guess. That’s why I have the cross guards, so it doesn’t explode and kill everyone in a five-mile radius.”

“That’s awesome.”

“Uh, sure.” Ben shrugged Rey’s comment off, he didn’t think of building and constructing his saber as anything other than ordinary and necessary.

 

***

 

After breakfast, the couple tidied the kitchen and washed the dishes.

The clouds seemed to be inching their way closer and closer, but they were traveling at a snail’s pace despite the strong winds that still rattled the house.

Rey was still in her leggings and tunic that she had slept in when she and Ben went upstairs to begin lightsaber construction.

Ben was still in his grandfather’s pajama pants, they were so comfortable he never wanted to take them off. The grey color seemed fitting considering his and Rey’s Force climate.

Rey grabbed her staff and kneeled beside where Ben was sitting in front of the windows.

Her stomach was tight and she felt uneasy, she assumed it was the anticipation surrounding the whole event of constructing a saber. Still, she didn’t know how to write off the slight pain she felt at the base of her abdomen.

“Are you ready?” Ben asked, a slight uneasiness about him.

Rey nodded.

“Alright, well, do you have any ideas regarding the saber you want to construct? Any goals or wishes on how you want it to look?”

“I want it to be double bladed, aside from that I don’t really have any specific inspiration.”

“Right, I remember you mentioning that a while back. Well, the first thing we’re going to do is lay out the supplies. Do you want to deconstruct your staff for pieces?”

“Yes, my staff is a part of me. It seems only suiting for it to be what my saber is made from.”

Rey presented her staff and necklace, laying them carefully before her.

“I agree. Now, you’re going to use the Force to align the pieces in a way that makes sense to you.”

“What? That doesn’t make sense, what if I do it wrong? What if it doesn’t work?”

“It will. The crystal is bonded to you, it will work with you to build the saber in the way it’s meant to be built. Don’t doubt or question the process. Do you think anyone _really_ understands how it works?”

“Is that why the militaries aren’t armed with lightsabers?”

“Precisely, because no computer or scientist can copy what the Force does. They can use Kyber crystals for other things like Death Star tech, but they can’t actually recreate or mimic what a lightsaber does.”

“Fascinating.”

“Yeah, so now just reach out and focus. Remember, the crystal wants to be used by you, it trusts you, it’ll provide you with the instructions. Just trust the crystal in return and you’ll be golden.”

Rey extended her arm and felt for the crystal, it wasn’t difficult to find. The crystal seemed to have a life force of its own, as though it was a living thing. It called out to her as much as she called for it.

Ben watched as Rey and the crystal worked in harmony with one another.

Pieces of Rey’s staff starting to deconstruct and spin around the room.

Ben dodged flying nuts and bolts as he continued to gaze in awe at the glowing crystal.

Rey was so focused; the planet could split in half and Rey wouldn’t notice.

Ben followed the pieces of metal as they flung through the air and dove together. Everything was working in perfect harmony, there was balance.

As the final pieces of the puzzle snapped together, a blue orb appeared in the corner of Ben’s eye.

He turned to look his uncle in the eyes; where he should’ve felt anger and resentment he felt peace and calmness.

Luke was barely there long enough to nod to Ben in approval, but Ben appreciated the brief nod more than anything in the moment. He finally felt approval and proudness emanate from his uncle.

Ben turned his attention back to Rey as the final piece of the saber clicked in place.

Rey opened her eyes and broke her intense concentration as the first, of many, drops of rain escaped from the dark prison in the clouds.

Rey slouched into the floor, she’d done it. She’d actually done it! She constructed her lightsaber!

Ben ran over to Rey and grabbed her in a tight, supportive hug.

“You did it Rey! You did it! And on your first attempt!”

Rey grabbed the long saber’s shaft and examined it.

“Does it look alright?”

“It looks perfect!”

The bronzy metal formed a protective case around the crystal and Rey admired how simple it was.

The hilt of the saber looked like a blend of Rey’s staff and Ben’s hilt, little gaps allowed the yellow crystal to shine beautifully from the inside out.

“I love it.” Rey continued looking the masterpiece over, the hilt fit perfectly in her hand and wasn’t too heavy. It was long enough for ideal maneuverability and Rey couldn’t wait to ignite it!

Rey unlatched the glass door and sprinted to the balcony, blinking the rain from her eyes.

The rain pounded so hard it almost hurt where the drops pinged off of Rey’s skin.

Rey ignited the saber and it came to life with a whir.

Two gorgeously crafted golden blades spun through the air, spitting sparks where they made contact with the rain.

Rey twirled the saber as she danced gracefully in the rain, sparring with no one.

Ben ignited his saber and joined Rey to dance in the rain.

Lightning accompanied them as their sabers clashed, the storm was barely beginning as they sparred in their pajamas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this chapter! I feel like the story is definitely starting to pick up speed! I'm so excited with where this is going, feel free to leave me feedback. I love seeing comments! <3


	17. Anakin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things between Ben and Rey continue to heat up, Ben has yet another interesting encounter with a person of his past.

The sparring continued for hours, Rey felt enthralled at the challenge.

Ben had fluidity and strategy that he had practiced all his life. His movements reflected the uncountable hours of training Ben had endured. He had trained for years to know how to fight with expertise, all the experience made Ben a formidable partner that Rey preferred fighting with instead of training against.

Rey had emotion and raw strength with no planned movements. Every dodge and block was impulsive, every jab and twirl was hastily executed. However, the golden blades met the red blades with excitement, as though they were greeting each other like old friends or new lovers. 

Ben had a difficult time sparring with Rey because of how unpredictable she was. When they fought on Starkiller, she was fueled by anger and loss. Her movements were just as unpredictable and Ben was on the defensive the whole fight. Now that neither of them were fueled by pain or bleeding, their sparring match was so intense they both found it difficult to catch a breath.

The couple’s dance in the rain resulted in exhaustion on behalf of both parties, Ben was surprised at how much endurance Rey, in fact, had.

Rey was shivering when she finally seceded. The cold hadn’t yet gotten to Ben, his breath was staggered and his heart needed a break.

The couple made their ways back into the warmth of Padme’s bedroom once again.

Ben tossed logs on the fire carefully, trying to prevent putting out the flickering flame that was still lit. He didn’t want to sacrifice his own underwear next.

Rey’s teeth chattered relentlessly, she gripped her shoulders to protect herself from the inescapable cold that now emanated from within.

“Rey, you need to get your wet clothes off and get warm.”

Rey nodded her head to the fast rhythm her teeth were setting.

“I should’ve ended our sparring earlier, I don’t want you to get sick while we’re out here in the middle of nowhere.” Ben felt disappointed in himself for ignoring the element’ effects on Rey.

“B-b-ben, It’s oh-okay. I don’t get si-si-ick that often.” Rey struggled to pull off her tight-fitting leggings.

“Rey, you also have only come in contact with the cold a couple of times before and every cold experience you’ve encountered has been in the last month.”

“I-I know.” Rey sneezed.

“Okay, come on we need to get your cold clothes off quicker.” Ben moved to help Rey with her difficult clothing that was still protesting its removal.

“No, Ben I-I can do it-t myself.”

“Rey, please just let me help.”

Rey wanted to let Ben help but felt embarrassed at her lack of nickers.

“Ben, I-i’m not wear-wearing underwear. I bur-rned the-em.”

“I remember but Rey, you need to get the clothes off.”

“I wo-won’t drop my pa-ants for you tha-t easily.”

“Kriff Rey.” Ben was audibly annoyed by Rey’s sarcasm.

“I’m jok-king,” Rey half laughed.

Rey scooted her shaky frame over to Ben’s aid.

Ben slipped his cold fingers under the waistband of Rey’s leggings and freed them from her goosebumps.

He slipped the pants off carefully and laid them out before the fire.

Rey’s cheeks blushed, knowing that she was exposed to Ben, she tried her best not to think about it.

“Blushing now? I guess that may help warm you up.”

Ben placed his hands on the base of Rey’s shirt hem.

“I’m going to take your shirt off now, is that okay?”

“Y-yes.” Rey assisted Ben’s efforts by lifting her shivering arms.

Ben pulled the old material over Rey’s head, smoothing Rey’s hair after the shirt messed her luscious, dripping locks up.

His eyes were pulled like magnets to Rey’s breast band, the sight of her hardened nipples from the cold was captivating.

Rey’s blushing cheeks only reddened more when she noticed Ben’s stare. Ordinarily, being objectified by a man would result in him losing consciousness after meeting Rey’s staff but Ben’s hungry gaze made Rey’s body sing and stomach flutter.

Ben diverted his gaze as quickly as he could and immediately stared at the ceiling nonchalantly.

“Uh, alright.” Ben cleared his throat as he draped the wet tunic before the fireplace. His new sleeping pants were not snug enough by any means to try and conceal what was trying to break free.

Ben continued to avert his gaze as he moved to Padme’s boudoir, his hands found her silky robe.

Ben was startled when Rey appeared beside him, still shaky.

Before Ben’s eyes could travel over any more of Rey’s personal parts, he closed them all together and handed the robe to Rey.

Rey graciously accepted the item and wrapped it around herself.

The material was the softer Rey had ever known, it’s light color complimented her nicely as well.

Rey positioned herself in front of the large fire that continued to climb hotter with every passing second.  

Ben decided it would be good to climb out of his wet clothes as well. He slipped his pants off, carefully obstructing his rebellious appendage.

Ben turned his back towards Rey as he began searching for his towel in her bag.

It didn’t take long for Ben’s hands to find what he was looking for. _Towel, bingo._

Ben quickly toweled off his hair, feeling burning eyes on his backside. Ben peeked over his shoulder to find Rey flustered and averting her gaze similar to how he had done mere moments before.

Red blush made its way to Ben’s own cheeks, giddiness comfortably settled on the tips of his ears.

Ben wrapped his towel around his waist and joined Rey where she was sitting in front of the comforting fire.

He plopped down, carefully protecting his modesty and Rey’s eyes in the process.

Rey turned her head slightly to examine Ben’s physical form once again. Ben’s exposed body lured Rey’s eyes into a hypnotic state, mesmerized by his carved masculinity.

The way his rippled muscles twitched when Rey moved her fingers over his shoulder brought a smile to her face.

Rey beamed while Ben was surprised at the sudden contact.

Rey’s fingers traced over the scar she gave Ben, she continued tracing her touch over his collarbone down to the top of his peck.

“What are you doing?” Ben didn’t know what to make of Rey’s sudden fascination with her mark on him.

Rey turned more than just her shoulders towards Ben, she positioned her whole body to face him. He had captivated her undivided attention.

“I’m warming myself up.”

Rey’s suggestive comment overwhelmed Ben, some parts of him more than others.

Rey’s fingers traced over Ben’s numerous scars, she continued to catalog them. One at a time, scar by scar.

“Where’d you get this one?” Rey pointed to a faint scar on Ben’s shoulder.

“I tripped down some stairs and went through a window.”

“What?”

“I was nine,” Ben clarified. He had always been a clumsy child given his gangly limbs and large feet that always decided to run him into things. Ben met the ground daily, they were quite accustomed to each other by the time Ben was five.

“Oh, what about this one?” Rey pointed to a scar just above Ben’s towel on his left side. The scar was jagged and raised.

“I defied one of Snoke’s orders to kill someone who had rebelled against The Order. I couldn’t do it and I got punished, eventually, I had to kill them anyways.”

“That’s awful.”

“Most of my scars don’t have good stories, a lot of them are from stupid things like cuts or burns inflicted in training.”

“That one’s a snaggley one.” Rey pointed to a scar on Ben’s left side, part of it was covered by the plush towel.

“That’s the one from the bow caster shot.”

“Chewie’s bow caster?”

“Yes. That thing really has a kick.” Ben chuckled.

“Usually when someone’s shot by it they’re propelled ten feet back, I’m shocked it didn’t blow you right off the bridge.”

“I think my subconscious dimmed its strength.”

“Or, you’re just _that_ strong,” Rey joked.

Rey kissed Ben’s collarbone, right beside where she’d left her mark on him.

Rey followed the line of his scar and kissed the base of Ben’s neck. She moved a little higher and kissed the underside of Ben’s jaw. The Rey completely straddled Ben and kissed his lips, soft and affectionately.

Rey searched Ben’s eyes for an answer to see if what she was doing was okay. Ben answered only with peppered kisses along the hard line of Rey’s jaw. That was more of an answer than she needed.

Rey tilted her head back, accepting Ben’s plush lips on her neck. Her damp hair fell with her head as Ben devoured Rey’s neck like a man starved of touch and love.

The escape of a slight moan from Rey’s lips excited Ben more than anything; one of his hands buried itself in her hair while the other held her close around the small of her back.

The plush towel felt soft on the inside of Rey’s thighs. Ben’s kisses felt better, but not by much.

She needed to find his lips again.

Rey’s hands massaged Ben’s scalp as her lips found Ben’s.

His taste was addictive, it was something she couldn’t get enough of. Rey’s hunger for Ben’s lips was comparable to her hunger for chocolate, it was something where just a little was never enough. She always craved a second taste.

Ben’s tongue traced the outline of Rey’s lips, she gladly accepted Ben’s request for more. The couple soaked each other’s taste in.

Rey’s hands continued exploring Ben’s back, scars occasionally interrupting the smoothness of the skin that she was obsessed with.

Rey’s body ached for more but a sudden stab of pain interrupted everything.

Rey pulled away from Ben’s lips in shock at the sharp feeling.

“Are you okay?” Ben breathed into the crook of Rey’s neck.

“Yeah,” Rey kissed Ben. “I’m fine, I love this. I love you.” Rey continued kissing Ben and he reciprocated.

“I love you too.”

Another sharp pain ripped through Rey, she gasped suddenly and Ben focused on Rey’s expression.

“Rey, what’s wrong. You look like you’re in pain.”

Rey breathed deeply, confused as to what was happening.

“Nothing.”

“It’s clearly not nothing, is it something I did? Did I hurt you somehow? Did I bite you?”

“No, the nibbles were good. I don’t know what it was.”

Rey was still straddling Ben when her lower abdomen contracted tightly. Rey hunched over in pain, “Phew, breath.” Rey reminded herself.

“Rey, where are you hurt?” Ben was now genuinely concerned. He wanted to know what was happening, he half wished he could feel Rey’s pain for himself so he could evaluate the situation and help her.

Rey’s cramp unclenched and she felt relief for a brief moment. She unstraddled Ben and hunched into a ball when the next stabbing pain arrived.

“Rey, tell me what is going on, please.”

“I don’t know exactly Ben. My lower stomach feels...ooph! It feels like I’m getting stabbed.”

The pain continued to intensify and Rey continued to clench her limbs into a tighter ball on the rug in front of the still roaring fire. She hugged her knees as she fought back threatening tears.  

Rey’s sudden change in disposition was alarming and Ben was starting to panic, _what did I do to her?_

_You didn’t do anything Ben! Stop worrying, everything you were doing was amazing._

Ben scooted to the ball of Rey that was lying on the floor and tried to comfort her, Rey snapped away from Ben’s touch.

“Sorry Ben, I don’t really want to be touched right now.”

“I’m sorry Rey, I just want to know how I can help you.”

“I don’t think there’s anything you can do, maybe get dressed for starters. You’re going to get cold.”

Ben did as Rey suggested, he walked back over to the boudoir and pulled some fitted black pants and a white shirt from the drawer.

Ben folded up his towel and went to place it back in Rey’s bag when he noticed a little cup sitting in the bottom of the fabric sac.

His mind connected the dots quickly from there. _Rey’s been moody, now the stabbing cramps, the cup. They’re period cramps!_ Ben felt like he’d had the breakthrough of a lifetime.

Ben put the folded towel in the bag over the cup.

“Rey? Is there anything you want? Some tea, caf, anything?”

“I don’t know.” Rey whimpered.

“I’ll be right back.”

Ben jogged to the kitchen and prepared a cup of tea for Rey.

He hastened back to the room, cup in tow.

“Rey, I made you some tea. Do you want to take a bath? I’ll start the bath for you.” Ben didn’t allow Rey to answer before he was in the bathroom filling the large tub with hot water and bubbles.

Ben walked back to Rey and picked her up, carrying her carefully into the bathroom. Rey didn’t even have a chance to protest Ben’s efforts before he was placing her on the bathroom counter.

“Rey, a bath will do you good. It’ll warm you up and the heat will calm the cramps.”

“What?”

“Your cramps, don’t be embarrassed I know.”

“You know?” Rey’s embarrassment at her over-dramatic uterus was never-ending

“Yes, now I’m going to help you in the bath and then you can sit back and relax with your cup of tea.”

Rey felt smaller than ever on the bathroom counter, she was still curled into a ball hugging her knees in search of relief.

“Thank you, Ben. For everything.”

“Don’t mention it.” Ben walked over to the tub and turned off the water before it overflowed. “You ready?”

Rey nodded, Ben helped her stand to allow her a chance to take off her robe.

Even while erect, Rey was still partially hunched, she felt like her chin was being pulled towards the floor.

Her uterus was not in charge and calling the shots, and they weren’t pleasant ones.

“Do you want help?”

Rey nodded, any sense of embarrassment at her naked form had perished.

Ben pulled the robe from Rey’s shoulders and untied her breast band carefully. This time he didn’t gaze openmouthed, instead, he simply helped the woman he loved get comfortable.

Ben supported Rey as she climbed into the tub, she sunk carefully into the hot water. The warmth was immediately soothing.

Rey sighed as her muscles began to relax and her cold toes burned from the heat’s penetration.

“Thank you, Ben. I already feel better.”

The stabbing pain floated away with the water, all Rey was left with was a mildly uncomfortable tugging.

“Here’s your tea.” Ben handed Rey the steaming cup.

She sipped the warm liquid and felt it slip down her throat. Rey’s entire body was buzzing with warmth and calmness.

Rey draped her hair over the side of the tub, protecting it from the water.

“Do you want me to braid your hair?”

Rey was surprised by Ben’s offer, he’d done so much for her already she felt guilty to ask him for more.

“You don’t have to Ben, you’ve done so much for me already.”

“Do you want me to braid your hair?” Ben asked again.

“If you don’t mind?”

“I don’t. I’ll never mind braiding your hair.”

“Thank you.”

Ben grabbed a brush and started brushing the tangles out of Rey’s hair. He was careful to not pull or yank her hair too roughly, he wanted to avoid causing Rey more pain than she was already enduring.

Ben and Rey sat in silence as Ben meticulously twisted and folded Rey’s hair.

Over, under, over under, around.

For many, the silence would be perceived as awkward, for Ben and Rey it was calming and appreciated.

The thunderous roar of the rain from above continued to pound the roof, thunder shook the house as the wind continued beating the windows.

The bath water was starting to turn cold by the time Ben finished the intricate braids.

Ben dipped his fingertips into the water to check its temperature.

“Do you want me to fill the tub up with more hot water or are you comfortable?”

“I’m comfortable, thank you.” Rey drank the last of her tea.

“I’ll go throw some more logs on the fire.”

In Ben’s absence, Rey stood from the relaxing waters and dried herself off with a towel she found in a cupboard under the sink.

Rey pulled her robe back on and admired the labyrinth of braids that her hair was twisted into.

When Ben walked back into the bathroom he was surprised to find Rey out of the tub, “Oh, are you feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you. Ben, these braids are gorgeous!”

“Thank you, they’re ceremonial Alderaanian braids.”

“Wow, where’d you learn?”

“From my mom and dad. Mom insisted I know how to properly execute many different styles so that one day I could perform them on my wife and daughter. Knowing how to braid your wife’s hair is a great honor in Alderaanian culture.”

“That’s cute.” Rey looked into Ben’s eyes in the reflection of the mirror. The word wife on his lips was spoken beautifully, it sounded soft and earnest as it escaped Ben’s lips.

Ben directed his stare back towards Rey’s braids. He reached his hand up to them as the back of his finger brushed over a loose piece of hair.

“I used to think it was useless knowledge, now I understand why my dad liked braiding my mother’s hair. Luke used to laugh at Han for doing it because it was so out of character for him.”

“But he was in love and loved providing the joy of the simple take to Leia.”

Ben nodded, examining his work.

“I messed up in a few places on you, there and there.” He pointed to the slight imperfections in his art.

“No mistakes, they were just happy accidents and I love them all the same.”

Rey pulled Ben’s jaw to her own and they embraced once again.

“I think I’m going to lay down.”

“Absolutely,” Ben picked Rey up and bridal carried her to the plush bed in their room.

“I never have to walk when I’m around you,” Rey teased.

“Oh yeah,” Ben tossed Rey onto the bed, abandoning the delicateness of his efforts.

Rey giggled as she climbed under the fluffy duvet, the soft sheets felt amazing against Rey’s skin. She wondered if the rich ever had an opportunity to know what rough material felt like.

Rey sunk her head into the purple pillows, they were just as fluffy and welcoming as the duvet.

Rey rolled to her side and tucked her knees up, trying to relieve the mild cramps that were creeping back.

“Ben, I want some sleep but I can’t doze off.”

“I can help you fall asleep, I’ll knock you out of consciousness.”

“What?!”

“Like I did on Takodana, it won’t hurt. It’ll be fast and before you know it you’ll be asleep and the pain will be no more.”

“You sound really creepy right now with the way you’re proposing something so simple but I’d like that.”

Ben raised his hand to Rey’s forehead and he wiped her hair from her face.

“Sleep well, love.” Ben pulled Rey from her conscious state and let her fall deeply into a restful sleep.

Ben looked over Rey’s unconscious form like he had the last time she fell unconscious at his hand.

She looked so frail and small in this state, and yet, she looked strong and untouchable. She was a creation of beauty and invulnerability.

Ben leaned down and kissed Rey’s forehead softly, ensuring to not despair her fondness of him even in her slumber.

 

***

Ben returned to his full height as he felt the air in the room still. Ben turned himself around in circles, scared of what he felt could be coming. He paced along Rey’s sleeping throne like a predator protecting its mate. Ben bared his teeth and tightened his fists, his nostrils flaring as anger reached his eyes. Ben didn’t know what had come over him so quickly but his sudden onset of anger was an imploring cry of instinct.

Ben’s footsteps grew stronger, his weight bearing heavily on the old floorboards in Padme’s room. Ben felt immense guilt flowing through him on tapping into his inner anger once again, but his shaking adrenaline was preventing him from addressing the situation clearly.

The room was still calm, the air stagnant. No notable changes, Ben still waited…whatever he sensed was coming was important.

Blue pieces of light blew through the room like rose petals flutter in a summer breeze.

“Shit!” Ben growled. He had no patience for Force ghosts nor anyone in his family. He doubted it was El coming by for a visit.

The fluttering light continued to swirl, Ben swore he felt a slight breeze.

His hair danced independently as he grew an inch taller, further stiffening and broadening himself to appear as large and brooding as possible.

_So much pain_. An unfamiliar voice whispered through Ben’s ears. There was a comfortableness encompassing the words despite how dark they felt.

_So scared, afraid to commit._

_“_ Who are you? Show yourself, you coward.” Ben feared Snoke had come back to haunt him.

The voice laughed.

_Conflict indeed. You, Ben Solo, have caused much chaos among the departed._

Ben’s breathing intensified as his chest heaved. Apart of him was afraid and wanted to run but his pulsing adrenaline forced the fear from his mind.

Ben looked back at Rey, one glance at her calmed him. His heart rate began to slow to its normal speed. Rey was emanating balance and peace despite what Ben was feeling.

_She calms you?_ The voice sung from the fluttering blue specks, they appeared to be multiplying.

The blue lights glowed like a herd of fireflies, dim and soft.

Ben bared his teeth once again, his patience had run out.

He ran towards where the blue lights had collected. He busted through the cloud with confidence and sureness. The blue specks parted like water splashes on contact, accommodating Ben. They closed around him and Ben felt comfort like he’d never experienced, his fears that Snoke’s presence had come for revenge or torment dissolved in the comfort of the familial light.

“Why aren’t you showing yourself?” Ben asked, finally calmer.

_It’s simple, you’re not ready to face your past._

“My past, who are you?”

_I’ve gone by many names, many titles._

“Stop tip-toeing around the bush. Speak up.”

The voice finally took on a familiar voice, one Ben had only heard in recordings R2 had shared with him.

_Slave._ The specks began to materialize into the form of a tall figure.

_Boy._ The figure was slightly shorter than Ben.

_Padawan._ The figure materialized in a pair of dark Jedi robes.

_Chosen One._ The words hung thick in the air, burdened by what they meant.

_Husband._ Pieces of dirty blond hair hung over a thick scar.

_Father._ Blue eyes shone like diamonds through the blue light that still surrounded the man.

_Grandfather._ Ben felt the eyes stare through him, powerful and charged.

_Brother._ Pained lips spit the words out. They floated uncomfortably through Ben’s ears.

_Worthy Apprentice._ Every title brought greater understanding to Ben.

_Darth Vader._ Every name brought more disdain.

_Anakin._ A word forgotten by the history books, a word that forced a lone tear to slip from Ben’s dark eyes.

Skywalker. The name heavier than all others.

Cursed, adored, legendary.

Words could not be found. Ben was speechless, what could he possibly say to the legend that now stood strongly before him? How could he possibly introduce himself to the man who changed everything?

All Ben could manage was a word his mother always scolded him for saying…

“Um.”

The Force ghost chuckled as he offered his hand to Ben for a proper introduction. It was an imperious gesture.

Ben did nothing but stare at the hand for a moment before he gathered a firmer grasp on his senses and responded to the gesture.

The ghost and the lost man shook hands, though they couldn’t touch in the physical sense, mutual understanding and respect passed between the complicated beings.

_“Never took you as the “lost for words” type. Why so shy-grandson?”_ Anakin spoke the last word as an unavoidable smirk crossed his lips.

“I-I just… I don’t even know what to say. All those years, I spoke to you, asked for help and guidance…You never responded.”

“You weren’t speaking to me, the man you were speaking to is dead.”

Ben looked Anakin from head to toe, “You _do_ realize what you just said, right? You look pretty fucking dead to me.”

Anakin laughed as he looked at his transparent feet, “ _I guess I do, but that’s not what I meant. The man you so desperately called for is long dead, he died more than thirty years ago. He died along with the Death Star.”_

“You just contradicted yourself again, you died on the Death Star too.”

_“Man, you’re definitely more difficult to talk to than I thought you’d be,”_ Anakin mumbled.

Ben tapped his foot and crossed his arms in annoyance as he looked down at his grandfather.

“Smaller than I imagined you to be, Grandfather.”

“Hey,” Anakin quipped. “That’s just a low blow.”

“It is because you’re so short I have to crouch just to look you in the eyes.”

_“Not cool Vader-wannabe.”_

“Did you just-?”

_“Yep, if you want to see a small man look at your uncle.”_

“I know! Kriff, how tall was Padme for your kids to pop out like midgets?!”

_“She was 5’5’’!”_

“How’d Leia stop growing at 5’1’’ then?”

“I honestly don’t know.” Anakin shrugged.

Ben liked the casualness of his grandfather, he felt like this man was someone he would’ve gotten along with well as a young Padawan.

_“Your mother is one stubborn lady_.”

“Heh, yeah tell me about it. Imagine growing up with her and Han as your parents.”

_“Okay, don’t get me started on childhoods. In our whole family, the best childhood goes to Padme as the winner for best childhood, Leia next--though I did interrogate and torture her but that’s beside the point--, and you come in third!”_

Ben was in shock at how confrontive Anakin was.

“Are you seriously listing off our family member’s childhoods from best to worse?”

“ _Yes, what do you think I’m supposed to spend all my time on? It’s boring being a Force ghost!”_

_“_ Why don’t you run around haunting people?”

“ _What do you think I’m doing here?”_

_“_ I don’t know, maybe you have some big philosophical advice to tell me?”

“ _Not really.”_ Anakin shrugged once again. “ _I mostly came just to elicit the feared response I got from you.”_

Ben examined Anakin’s overall demeanor, he was young. Really young, the way he carried himself made Ben think he was younger than himself even.

Ben nodded at Anakin, “Why are you presenting yourself like this instead of old and gray?”

“ _This is_ _how I looked when I was still a man.”_

“When you turned into Vader did the suit come with a sex change?”

“ _Kriff, you’re really a difficult one. Definitely a Solo.”_

Ben rolled his eyes.

_“The last time I was a good man, this was my form. When I became Vader, I was more machine than man, scarred and rotting. Though I was still breathing, I wasn’t really living. When I died, I became my true self, this is who I am, who my spirit always was.”_

_“_ Umm, alright.”

“ _So, I’m supposed to give you philosophical advice or something?”_

“Well, I don’t know! Rey saw Luke last night and he talked to her about constructing her saber. He told her what she was supposed to be doing. Are you going to give me a clue because at this point I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“ _Train Rey! Become that Master I never was. Find balance, learn to control your emotions. I don’t know why I have to explain this to you, it’s pretty obvious what you need to be focusing on right now, you just have to come to terms with that truth.”_

“Man, you’re really a dick but you’re also really cool.”

_“Wow, you’re immature and need to learn to manage that smuggler’s mouth of yours. I can’t believe Luke thought he could train you to be a Jedi. Most of what Snoke told you were lies but when he said you have too much of your father’s heart in you, he was seriously telling the truth.”_

“How do you know what my father was like?”

_“For starters, I interrogated him once.”_

“Oh, you interrogated your daughter’s boyfriend? That’s fucked up.”

Anakin raised a hand to the bridge of his nose, _“You really know nothing. I didn’t know who she was at the time!”_

“I get that, but all the times you and Leia crossed paths how did you seriously never pick up on the truth?”

“ _It’s such a complicated story, Ben. I didn’t know, I didn’t know Luke and Leia survived. I didn’t know why Padme died, I didn’t understand. I blamed myself because that’s what my master told me, he said it was all my fault. I had to live with the fact that in one day, I lost everything. I lost everything I loved, everything that was important to me, including my humanity and my ability to function on my own.”_

Ben cast his eyes aside, he always felt like he was living in the worst situations imaginable but then he remembered Rey’s childhood, his father’s childhood, his mother’s, his ancestor’s pasts. He had it easy compared to the people he was surrounded by.

“I can’t imagine.”

_“No, you can’t, but you don’t need to. You’re not going to make the same mistakes I did, not even close to them. You’ve already beaten the darkness, though it’ll always tempt you you’re free from Snoke’s clutches. Now you have your whole life to do what’s right for you,” Anakin looked towards Rey’s sleeping form, “and her.”_

“So, I’m supposed to focus on what’s right now? What if I mess up?”

“ _Oh, you will, it’s not a what if. You’re definitely going to make the wrong choice at least once, but that’s what she’s for. Rey will always support you, you will support each other. Don’t forget the significant parts you play in each other’s lives. Don’t mess up what you have with her.”_

“Thank you, grandfather.” Ben thought of all the times he called for his grandfather. All the times he yelled into the darkness, all the times he begged for answers, for understanding. All the times Ben rejected the truth that lay in the light just before him.

Anakin began to blur, growing fuzzy as the blue light began shedding away from the figure.

“ _Ben, one last thing. Go home, say goodbye to your mother while you still can. I saw my mother take her last breaths but after ten years of separation, a few breaths weren’t enough. Give her a proper goodbye, you’ll regret it otherwise. Oh, and saver having two hands while you can.”_ The words hung in the air as Anakin’s apparition had fully vanished.

Ben sunk to the floor, his heavy knees met the hard ground weakly as Ben curled into a ball. He didn’t know what to think. For starters, his grandfather was quite the personality. He also felt the weak pull from his mother, for once he pulled back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed that make out session before PMS had to come and cock-block them. Lol, I'm loving the Force Ghosts rn! Let me know what you guys think! I would like to thank everyone who's made it this far for reading and being excited every time I get a chance to update!


	18. Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben develop a game plan when a mysterious pair of eyes rains on their parade...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May the fourth be with you!!!!  
> Enjoy the mystery that awaits...

Ben felt his mother’s Force signature pulling for him, aching for his attention.

He always dismissed her calls, ignored them even in his childhood.

For once, he answered.

Ben felt his mother, she felt just as she always had. Even across the cosmos, she still was just as strong witted and beautiful, but there was something different…something off.

Her signature was tainted, Ben wondered if whatever was changing her appearance through the Force was related to when he saw her life string, rotting from the inside out.

Leia was poisoned, dying, and Ben knew it. He was ridden with guilt for losing so many years, he hadn’t had a single conversation with her in his adult lifetime. She still knew him as the child he once was. Last time he saw her he wasn’t even fully grown yet.

Ben heard his mother’s voice sing through his ears, it was sweet and loving despite all the bad that tainted him.

_Ben, come home love. Say goodbye one last time._

Was his mother finally giving up? She was still so young! Was Leia retiring from fighting to live after doing so all her life? Was her spark finally extinguished?

Ben hoped the questions that circled through his mind weren’t true, a galaxy without Princess Leia didn’t seem possible. Luke Skywalker had already sacrificed himself, Han Solo was dead, and Ben couldn’t fathom losing his last relative.

He knew he had to make peace with his mother, if not make peace, at least see her one last time before the seemingly inevitable.

 

***

 

Ben sat in the kitchen for the rest of the day, occasionally preparing a snack for himself.

He left Rey to sleep, she needed it more than anything.

Ben just stared.

Stared out the window, watched the storm continue to roll in, watched the lightning threaten the earth across the lake, watched his eyes blink in his reflection.

Nightfall came quickly, though, when night finally had arrived it was barely noticeable. The cloud cover had been so thick the light of day never managed to make an entrance.

Ben made his way to bed and drifted off to sleep beside Rey.

He dreamed of a life where things had been different. In this life, Ben met Rey when he was traveling with his dad on a smuggler’s mission. He rescued Rey from Jakku and brought her home to meet his mother. Luke and Leia immediately took a liking to Rey, Han and Chewie waited anxiously for the day Ben would tell them he was going to propose to the desert girl. In this dream, darkness was nowhere to be seen. The First Order never came to fruition, the Republic continued to reign. Everyone was happy, Ben woke up as the dream skipped forward. The last thing he saw in the idealistic world was the sight of Rey at his side, and their son and daughter chasing Chewie with bows and hair accessories.

 

***

 

Ben woke to a beam of light bombarding his eyes.

He rolled over lazily in bed, annoyed to have been ripped from his perfect dream.

Ben looked out of the damp windows, the storm had passed and a bright blue day awaited the couple.

The lake glistened in the pure morning light, birds chirped, the mountains sang.

Not a cloud in the sky, Ben wondered how the storm passed so quickly after threatening its arrival for so long.

Ben stood from inviting bed and walked outside, the damp concrete tile of the balcony felt slippery and cold beneath his bare feet, but Ben didn’t mind.

The morning sun was beautiful, bright, pure, and untouched as it began the painstaking process of drying the side effects of rain.

A powerful waterfall roared in Ben’s ears, the sound reminded him of the symphony of waves continuously crashing on a beach.

Ben stood in a calm stance, his hands clasped behind his back. He breathed in the planet’s clean air, his muddied senses freshened by the deep breath.

Ben looked out across the lake once again, noticing its higher water levels.

Had it really rained that much to flood the shores of the surrounding beaches with a foot (at least) more water than normal? Evidently so.

Ben’s eyes caught sight of the _Falcon_ from across the lake, the water flowed around where it was parked on the gravel shore. Ben hoped the _Falcon_ hadn’t taken on a significant amount of water; a little water wouldn’t be the end of the word but the thought still rested in the back of his mind.

Ben heard a soft pair of footsteps creep behind him.

“Morning Rey.” Ben turned to greet the beauty.

Her hair still miraculously looked perfect, the braids were holding strong.

“Morning Ben,” Rey walked over to Ben and embraced him in a warm hug.

The bottom of her robe draped through a puddle on the balcony but she didn’t care. All Rey cared about was the feeling of this perfect hug.

“How are you feeling?” Ben checked in.

“A lot better, the cramps are very manageable. I can barely feel them anymore, now it just feels like there’s a tightness, a tugging.”

“I’m glad they’re better. I hope you were able to get a good night of sleep.”

Rey nodded, “Thank you for helping me like you did yesterday. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you, Ben.”

“Rey, I’d do anything for you.”

“I know,” Rey spoke into Ben’s chest. Her forehead pressed into his neck, Ben’s chin rested atop of Rey’s braids.

“Ben? What’s on your mind?”

“I’ve been thinking about my Mom.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I got a visit from someone yesterday that put a lot of things into perspective for me.”

“Who’d you see? Luke?”

“No, not Luke. I saw my grandfather, Anakin Skywalker.”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah, he was really cool. Good personality.” Ben spoke so casually like he was talking about a childhood friend.

“What’d he say that’s been making you think about Leia?”

“He said I need to go say goodbye to her.” Ben lifted his chin and looked across the lake, back towards the _Falcon_.

“Say goodbye?”

“Yes, Rey there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“When I was meditating yesterday morning, I was searching for my knights. I needed to make sure they were okay after the events that went down on the _Supremacy_.”

“What’d you find?”

“Well, they’re okay for the most part. Azazel didn’t manage to get out unscathed, he was definitely injured, the other knights were healing him though so he should be fine.”

“That’s good,” Rey turned her gaze across the lake like Ben had.

She took in the beauty Naboo had to offer in the morning. She never wanted to leave this place.

“Where are your knights?”

“Yavin IV.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, I found something else when I located them. My attention was pulled to the rebel base on the planet…”

“What’d you see?”

“My mother, she… she’s sick.” Ben swallowed, trying to decimate the lump that clogged his throat. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her but her Life Force is draining rapidly. It’s like she’s rotting from the inside out. Then, last night, she called me and I answered. She wanted me to come see her. She wanted me to say goodbye one last time, just like my grandfather had advised me to do.”

Rey suddenly felt guilty for not being entirely honest with Ben.

“Ben, there’s something I need to tell you too.”

“What is it?”

“Leia, uh…” Rey chose her words carefully. “When I was getting my checkup at the medical facility on the Resistance base I eavesdropped a little bit.”

“What do you mean ‘eavesdropped’?”

“I overheard Dr. Kalonia speaking to another patient in the next room over, it was your mother. Dr. Kalonia was asking her if her nausea and fatigue had gotten worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“I went to Leia’s room to ask her about it later and she told me the truth.” Rey turned to look Ben in the eyes. “Ben, she has radiation poisoning.”

“What?” Sadness plagued Ben’s voice. “Radiation poisoning?” His words barely managed to escape louder than a whisper.

“Yes, Dr. Kalonia told her she had no more than 6 months left.”

“Wow, wait but that would mean she had… what… 5 months left?”

“Yes, but with what you’re saying you’re being told and saw, I fear Dr. Kalonia’s predictions may have been wrong.”

“Radiation poisoning? I still don’t understand how she could’ve gotten radiation poisoning though.”

“When she was blasted into space by your pilots. Being exposed to the elements, or lack thereof, of space doesn’t do the body good.”

“I have to see her.”

Rey nodded against where her head still rested on Ben’s chest. She could hear his heartbeat and could tell he genuinely cared for his mother despite all their years apart, despite all the conflict they had between them.

“What are you going to do Ben? It’s not safe for us to leave this planet, you know that.”

“I do, but I think we need to get in contact with the Queen and her comrades. Her old woman friend sure knew about the galaxy’s gossip, she’d be able to inform us about the latest happenings in the galaxy. We need to figure out what Hux is up to, what the Resistance is up to. Once we gather our bearings, we need to go to Yavin IV. I still need to get back in contact with my knights and you need to catch up with the Resistance. There’s so much that we need to catch up on, I feel like so much has happened in the last few weeks. It’s too much to wrap my head around.”

“I know, so you’re saying that we need to go find the Queen?”

“Yes, I think that’s a good first step.”

“I agree.”

 

***

 

Ben and Rey got themselves ready for the day.

Rey pulled on her old Ahch-Tu clothes and Ben pulled on his father’s old clothes looking more Solo than ever with his unshaven face and relaxed demeanor.

Rey slung her saber staff over her shoulder and found Ben in the kitchen. He was eating a pear and he offered one to Rey, she indulged in the funny fruit.

Juice dribbled down her chin and Ben laughed, Rey once again felt embarrassed at her poor manners.

 

***

 

After they ate, Ben and Rey left all of their things behind as they walked out of Padme’s residence.

Rey walked to the boat they had originally taken to the island. She found it nearly level with the landing.

The lake really _had_ risen after the storm.

Ben carefully climbed into the boat, making sure not to tip them in the process. He untied it and sat down, adjusting his saber on his belt so that it fell comfortably.

Rey pushed off from the landing with her boot as Ben began paddling them across the glistening lake.

Rey let her hand float along the surface of the water, her fingertips left ripples behind as they made their way through the smooth lake. With every row, Ben was breaking glass.

This time, getting them across the lake was going a lot better than it the previous attempt. The short journey still wasn’t perfect but at least they weren’t going in circles or moving at a snail’s pace.

Rey continued to glide her fingers through the cool water when her eye caught a glimpse of something beneath the surface.

Rey yanked her arm back into the boat in fear of it getting ripped off by the creature she saw.

The water distorted her vision of things but one thing was for sure, whatever she saw was half fish, half… something else.

Ben was shocked at the sudden change in Rey’s demeanor.

“Rey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just thought I saw something.”

“What, like a fish?”

“I don’t know, it looked like a fish…at least part of it did.”

“Huh, I’m sure it was nothing.”

“I hope.”

Rey hesitated to put her fingers back into the water, still mildly afraid they’d get ripped off by whatever she saw.

Rey peeked her head over the side of the boat trying to see anything that was possibly lurking beneath the surface.

The lake was deep and the water beneath them, dark, but Rey still had a feeling _something_ was down there.

She continued to stare intensely when more movement caught her eye.

The same thing as she saw before was racing towards the surface, “Ben! Something’s swimming at us!”

“What?” Ben stopped paddling as he joined Rey in looking over the side of the boat.

“It’s gone whatever it was.”

“Ben, you don’t understand. I saw the thing twice.”

“Rey, it was probably a fish. Let’s just keep our arms, legs, and heads inside the boat until the end of the ride.”

Rey didn’t care to listen to Ben’s reassurances, her attention was focused on the thing that was still lurking beneath the surface of the water.

Whatever it was, was dark and quiet. That’s when Rey first saw the eyes…

A large pair of red eyes stared into Rey’s and Rey was captivated. Her features were frozen as she goggled at the being.

\---

“Rey?” Ben tried to snap Rey out of her trance. Whatever she was looking at was doing something to her.

“Rey?!” Ben repeated. He pulled the oars into the boat as he grabbed Rey’s shoulders, trying to shake her from her hypnotized state.

Rey didn’t budge, when Ben touched her she didn’t react. He tried pulling her away from the edge of the boat but it was like she’d turned to stone. The only thing that proved she was still able to move was the occasional blink of her focused eyes.

Ben thought he heard a high-pitched singing in his mind, he looked over the side of the boat to see what Rey was looking at.

He still couldn’t see anything. Whatever it was, was hiding.

“Rey, snap out of it please.” Ben’s words still had no effect on Rey.

\---

The red eyes continued to stare at Rey, large and mysterious. A part of her felt compelled to jump in the water, despite the fact that she couldn’t _really_ swim and there was a current.

Something was singing to her, compelling her to join them, and she was considering it despite the fact that she didn’t understand why.

Rey tried speaking to Ben but her mouth was locked and she couldn’t find the key.

The eyes spoke to Rey, _Join ussssss,_ it almost hissed.

Rey considered the being, it would be so easy to jump overboard and follow suit.

Wait, why did Rey want to join this thing anyway? She would drown if she leaped into the water, the thing would probably pull her to the watery darkness.

_It would be so easy to just leap in, why don’t you join us. We promise you everything will be okay._

_Don’t trust it._ Rey thought, was it Rey’s thought? She couldn’t tell.

The creatures Red eyes grew larger, searing their way into the back of Rey’s skull.

_Jump in, let go, leave him, come home, come to us._

Fear was creeping into Rey’s mind; the weight of her body was beginning to shift forward. She felt herself getting yanked towards the dark water despite how much her body protested the pull.

She was being lured against her will.

_You’re so close, come on. Join ussssss._

Rey felt herself falling uncontrollably, but not into the water.  

 

***

 

Ben used the Force to force Rey into unconsciousness like he had the day prior, only this time it was to make her escape the grasp of whatever was seeping its way into her mind.

Ben had felt something touching Rey’s soul, something was changing her, draining her light, _feeding_ off of her.

Whatever she was facing was _very_ dark.

Ben held Rey in his lap as he paddled them towards shore at an impossibly fast rate.

When they reached the _Falcon,_ Ben climbed from the boat, carrying Rey in his arms.

A foot of water still surrounded the _Falcon_ on all sides. Ben lowered the ship’s ramp and climbed aboard before the ramp had a chance to reach the water.

He raised the ramp quickly and carried Rey to the _Falcon’s_ couch. Carefully, Ben raised his hand to a spot in the middle of her forehead, with one simple tap she regained consciousness.

Rey gasped and panted deeply, scrambling up from her sleeping position. In the process, she nearly broke Ben’s nose.

“Rey, Rey look at me. Rey, you’re okay!”

Rey looked at the _Falcon_ in shock, never making eye contact with Ben.

“Rey, what’s wrong?”

“How’d I get here? What happened?”

Ben walked over to Rey, grabbing her shoulders tightly. Rey continued to avert her gaze, looking around the falcon, like she was assessing the ship for the first time.

“Rey, look at me.”

Rey stared into Ben’s eyes and Ben nearly fainted from shock at the eyes that stared back at him.

“Re-Rey, what’s wrong with your eyes?!”

“What are you talking about Ben?”

“Your eyes, they’re red!”

“What?!”

Rey ran to the _Falcon_ ’ _s_ bathroom, scared of the reflection that could stare back at her.

She screamed at what she saw, her eyes were the same shade of mahogany red as the creature’s had been.

“Ben! What the hell is happening to me?! What’d you do?!”

“I didn’t do anything! You were scaring me, you had complained of seeing something in the water and then next thing I knew you were staring so intensely into the water! When I looked for myself there was nothing there!” Ben’s voice was panicky and shaking, he sounded like he was barely holding himself together. “Rey, there was nothing there. I could hear faint hissing in the back of my mind, I’m assuming I was hearing what you were hearing. When I tried to snap you out of your trance you wouldn’t budge. You were unreceptive and your literal soul was changing. I don’t know what you were captivated by, but it was dark.”

“You think that _thing_ did this to my eyes?”

“Rey, I don’t know. I had to knock you unconscious just to be able to yank you away from the side of the boat! You were starting to tip over the edge! Whatever you saw was ready to pull you down to the depths of the lake.”

“What the fuck!”

Ben was shocked at Rey’s language but he was more shocked at the dark red eyes that stared back at him.

“Rey, come here.”

Ben grabbed Rey’s hand and pulled her to the main hold of the ship. He asked her to lay down on the couch and Rey obliged.

Ben left her laying alone for a moment before returning with a flashlight and a magnifying glass.

“I’m going to shine the light in your eyes, you will be momentarily blinded.”

“Okay, get on with it Ben.”

Ben turned on the flashlight and peered it into Rey’s red eyes, her black pupils dilated before turned her _whole_ eye black.

“Ahh, Ben that hurts!”

“The light actually hurts?”

“Yes! My head is pounding!”

“What the hell is going on here!” Fear pulsed through Ben, something was severely wrong with Rey and he had no idea what was happening. It was almost like the molecular makeup of her eyes had completely changed. Ben continued looking into Rey’s changed eyes, looking for answers.

“Wait, Rey, can you blink again? Slower this time.”

Rey blinked.

“Again, slower.”

“Kriff Ben, I can’t blink any slower.”

“Just try!”

Rey blinked once more. Ben had the terrifying realization that what he thought he had seen, he saw correctly.

“Shit!” Ben mumbled.

“Ben, what’s going on?!”

“Rey, when you blink…your, your eyes… they… come with me.” Ben dragged Rey to the _Falcon’s_ bathroom so she could look in the mirror once again.

Rey looked carefully at her eyes in the shattered mirror, she blinked slowly to see what Ben was talking about.

When Rey blinked, the red in her eyes glowed like rubies, her pupils changed from round to diamonds, and at the last moment, her eyes reverted to their original appearance.

Rey started crying, “What the fuck is happening to me and why is it only me who has these physical issues?!”

“I don’t know Rey!”

Tears began flowing from Rey’s eyes, instead of blurring her vision she was only able to see more clearly.

“Ben, that _thing_ I was looking at, it wanted me to join it!”

“Join it? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know! It was like it was pulling me in, egging me on. It was convincing me to dive in and follow it to the depths, to the darkness.”

“What did it look like Rey?”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do, what did it look like?”

“At first it looked like it was half fish, half something I couldn’t even classify if I wanted to.”

“Then what did it look like?”

“I don’t know, when I saw it again it only looked like a large pair of red eyes surrounded by a dark, twisting cloud.”

“Hm, well there is such thing as a siren but this doesn’t really sound like that.”

Ben paced in circles, searching his own memory files for answers.

“What’s a siren?”

“It’s supposedly a mythical creature.”

“What’s a siren, Ben?”

“It’s just a story that used to circle around a planet a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. A siren is a creature that lived in the sea and would lure sailors to their deaths with their beautiful songs. Usually, they would take the form of beautiful women to entice the men, then they’d drag them to the dark deep.”

“I don’t know, what I saw doesn’t seem too far off from that.”

“I know, but the eyes and the swirling dark is completely out of character for what sirens supposedly are.”

“Well, what else do you think it could be then?”

“I have no idea, Rey. What it sounds most like is that the literal dark side was trying to seduce you, it clearly imprinted on you. When you were unresponsive I felt your Force signature changing, it _was_ like you were being touched by the dark side of the Force. I know firsthand what that experience is like and that’s sort of what it seems like happened to you out there!”

“Okay, so who do you think we could get answers form?”

“I don’t know. I still think giving the queen a visit is our best bet.”

“I agree, let’s go!”

“Okay,” Ben left Rey behind in the bathroom as he went to start the _Falcon._

Rey heard the _Falcon’s_ engine purr to life and felt her nerves calm at the gentle hum of the ship.

She looked at her eyes in the cracked mirror once more, Rey couldn’t believe the eyes that stared back at her. She felt like a stranger had taken over her body. Only when she blinked, slowly, did she feel comforted by the familiar gaze that would return. Even if it returned only for a brief second, the hazel eyes were comforting beyond words.

Rey felt angry at the entire situation, she never could’ve imagined that looking into the eyes of something as simple as a fish would have such unimaginable repercussions.

 

***

 

Rey finally ripped her eyes from the shattered mirror before her true emotion was unleashed.

The bathroom was left with a fist-sized hole in the wall, delivered by Rey in a fit of anger and frustration.

_Why does life have to be so hard!_

Rey walked through the dark halls of the Falcon, though they were dimly lit, she didn’t have an issue seeing her way around. _Maybe night vision’s yet another side effect of your ‘new and improved’ eyes._ Rey thought to herself.

Rey made her way towards the cockpit of the _Falcon_ , she couldn’t wait to see the Queen. She couldn’t wait to find answers, if there were any.

Rey stood outside the cockpit door when she came across PAD. She’d nearly forgotten about him!

Rey powered the green droid on and knelt beside him.

“PAD, Personal Assistant Droid, how may I assist you today?” PAD stated his powering-on catchphrase as his eyes lit up.

“Woah, Miss Rey! What is wrong with you? You look awful.”

“Thanks, PAD, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Don’t, it certainly wasn’t a compliment. You really look bad; my scanners almost didn’t recognize you.”

“Gee, that’s nice.”

“What did you do to your eyes? My scanners aren’t registering any signs of inflicted damage.”

“You know as much as I do PAD. I have no clue how my eyes changed. Hey PAD, can you tell me about creatures that live on Naboo resembling certain characteristics of sirens?”

“No.”

“What?”  Rey wasn’t expecting the difficult droid to give her such a stubborn response. “Why not?”

“What do you think I am, a research droid?”

“No,” Ben yelled from behind the cockpit door.

He opened the door and glared at the droid. “I did, however, program you to be able to pull any random piece of information out of your ass when I want you to though. I’m going to repeat Rey’s question, are there any creatures on Naboo that remotely resemble the notable characteristics of sirens?”

“If you must know…”

“We must,” Ben interrupted.

PAD sighed before beginning.

 _Did he just sigh?_ Rey shot Ben.

 _Yes, worst mistake of my life to program him with that function._ Ben responded.

“There are creatures that reside in the underwater trenches of Naboo called Kelpies. A kelpie is essentially a shapeshifting water creature, they can inhabit any form but are most commonly seen in the form of a woman or a hooved creature when they’re spotted on land. Their true form is nothing more than darkness itself, they live in freshwater lakes and streams but truly reside in the trenches beneath the lakes of Naboo.”

“The trenches?”

“Yes, Naboo has many underwater caves and trenches that connect the lakes, comparable to a subway system if you will.”

“Do these trenches have currents?” Rey asked, remembering what Ben had said about the current he felt in the lake.

“Yes, Kelpies are also known to come on land to discover more about their victims to be.”

“Victims to be?” Ben choked.

“Kelpies are carnivorous creatures, they feed on the light that a Force user plays host to.”

“So, they want to eat me?”

‘Duh,” PAD rolled his metal eyes.

“Wait, you said they come on land to hunt their victims?”

“Yes, Kylo, your girlfriend is cute but she sure is dumb. She hasn’t listened to a single thing I’ve said so far.”

“Maybe you could try to be a little nicer to her, PAD.”

“Maybe, but I won’t.”

Ben was officially fed up with the droid’s behavior, as soon as he could, he would reprogram him to have a thread of sympathy.

“Ben, PAD said they sneak on land to get more intel on their victims. If I’m the Kelpie’s victim, this explains so much.”

“What do you mean, Rey? What does this explain?”

“The other night, when I saw Luke, I thought I saw shadows moving. Heard wet footsteps, the whole thing was eerie. I felt true fear like I was being hunted, that’s when Luke showed up.”

Ben’s face went pale. His behaviors yesterday suddenly made sense as well.

“Ben, what is it?”

“Yesterday, just before Anakin appeared to me, I felt like I had to protect you from something. I was tapping into my anger, protecting you like a predator would protect its mate, the air was still. I could sense something was coming, I assumed it was danger at the time but then Anakin showed up. Looking back, I thought I just knew Anakin was coming but Anakin has a good soul and what I sensed was darkness. I wonder…”

“Fuck, the thing’s been stalking me for days!”

“It tried to make its move today, Rey, you weren’t able to resist it either.”

“Why do you think my eyes changed though?”

“I don’t know.”

“I do,” PAD spoke up.

“Well spit it out!” Rey and Ben said in unison.

“The Kelpie now has control of your vision, they took something precious to you.”

“What?” Rey and Ben continued to speak in unison.”

“The eyes are the window to the soul, the price for what we owe, behold the truth of our lies, distinguish the good from the bad, the light from the dark, danger from safety.”

“What?”

“Eyes tell the lies, eyes should not be trusted, eyes are not honest, eyes are the spies, eyes are not crucial and ensue betrayal. The story eyes tell rely upon one’s own perspective.”

“What?”

“I’m listing off the rules of the Kelpie.”

“They don’t make any sense,” Rey said resolutely.

“Wait, they kind of do,” Ben responded, still thinking. “What PAD is saying is that the Kelpie took your eyes, not literally but it took away your ability to discern the truth from the lies, the good from the bad, the light from the dark.”

“Okay, what about the other part, about eyes being the spies?”

“I think when the thing started to—change you, it marked you. Your eyes are red, just like that thing’s. That thing can now see what you can, it’s not spying on you with its own eyes anymore.”

“Wait,” Rey remembered the other key part of what PAD was getting at. “PAD, you said: the eyes are the window to the soul, the price for what we owe, eyes tell the lies, eyes should not be trusted, and the story eyes tell rely upon one’s own perspective; is that right?”

“Yes.” PAD robotically answered.

“Ben, the Kelpie looked through my eyes into my soul, it took a piece of it and, in turn, left a piece of itself with me. It paid the price for taking some of me by leaving me with some of it, the price for what we owe. It left me with its eyes, it’s vulnerable. It’s going to hunt me by seeing through my own eyes but eyes should not be trusted…”

“The story eyes tell rely upon one’s own perspective.” Ben finished.

“Exactly!”

“We can hunt it through deception…”

“It’s perfect, but Rey, for now, let’s paint it a lovely and deceptive picture.”

“Next stop, the queen?”

“Yup!”

Rey joined Ben in the cockpit and they took off towards Theed while PAD stood in the corner complaining about getting ignored so much.

Ben and Rey ignored him and, instead, focused on flying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys loved this chapter, I know I loved writing it! We've got a little minor conflict/ new plot developing to spice it all up :) 
> 
> If anyone's wondering, a Kelpie is a mythological creature commonly known to be local to the Scottish lochs and rivers, I elaborated and dramatized it a little bit but it's a cool one...very similar to a siren but I thought a siren wasn't appropriate. Lol, hope you liked that little fun fact. 
> 
> PAD was back in this chapter which I hope you enjoyed, I just adore PAD and his attitude. <3
> 
> Will get the next chapter to you guys asap! Thanks for reading and staying excited with me!!


	19. Interrupted Lunch Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben return to Theed in search for a galactic news update. The queen is not thrilled to see them interrupting her lunch, but she is fascinated by the recent developments with Rey's eyes.

Rey and Ben landed the _Falcon_ with ease on the outskirts of town.

Ben gathered a few things to take with them, specifically making sure to grab his and Rey’s sabers and blasters. It’s not like some ancient dark-side-Force-fish-thing was actively hunting them.

“You ready?” Ben whispered into Rey’s ear. She was captivated by Theed once again, Rey looked across the city’s skyline with wandering eyes. It was as though she had never seen the city before, as though she was studying it for the first time.

“Rey? Are you ready to go?”

“Hm? Yeah, let’s go.”

Rey stood from her chair carefully, Ben offered her a hand and she gratefully took it.

Ben lead Rey through the ship, for some reason the bright light flooding the _Falcon_ was making Rey unsteady. She wobbled a bit with each step, she walked as though her feet couldn’t support her frame. She swayed as though she was a boat in the middle of a stormy sea.

Rey held Ben’s hand tightly, searching for balance as she continuously overcorrected her movements. Too far to the left then too far from the right. Ben carried almost all of Rey’s weight on his arm as he focused propelling them forward.

“Where do you think you’re going clutz?” PAD emerged from a random compartment on the _Falcon_.

“PAD, we’re just going to see the queen.”

“Good luck with that, she’s walking like she’s drunk and acting like she’s hungover with her current light sensitivity. Plus, those red eyes are hard to miss.”

“Well, what do you suggest, PAD?”

“Goggles for starters.”

“He’s right, Ben. I should cover my eyes, gosh everyone’s going to be scared right out their skin at the sight of me. I look like a _monster_.”

“No you don’t, Rey, you just look…unique.”

“She’s right. She looks like a bloody monster.”

“Not helping, PAD,” Ben growled.

“I’m just stating the truth here Kylo.” PAD raised his arms in defense.

“Ben, ease up on the droid. Wearing my goggles was a great idea, maybe the goggles will help ease the pounding in my head.”

“If you say so, Rey. You can wear whatever you want, I just want you to be comfortable.”

“Well, I appreciate you caring so much, Ben, but I think we should focus our attention on the real issues here.”

“You mean the fact that an ancient creature is hunting you?”

“Well, that, but also getting an update on what the First Order has been up to. As well as getting back to Yavin to check on your knights and Leia.”

“Jeeze Kylo. What is your luck, nothing happens around here for years and suddenly in two months you’re fancying this _thing_ ,” PAD pointed at Rey as though she was a rodent who wasn’t smart enough to stay out of a rat trap. “On top of that, Snoke kicked the bucket, you’re the new Supreme Leader, there’s a coup staged against you, you cut your hair… yeah, that was probably the most shocking turn of events.” PAD decided.

Rey laughed at the rude droid and looked at Ben, admiring his lovely hair.

“What PAD, you don’t like the hair?”

“I’m a droid, I have no preference except if I _were_ to have an opinion I’d say I’m fond of the hair.”

“Well, there you go Ben. Keep your hair short and pushed back instead of letting it fall flat from now on.”

“Rey, come on let’s go. Stop engaging PAD, he’ll never shut up otherwise.”

“Why don’t we bring him with us then?”

PAD literally perked up at the thought, an adventure? He hadn’t left the interior of a ship in…well ever.

“Are you serious Rey? You want to bring PAD to meet the queen? He’ll surely get us killed with his comments and attitude.”

“We can take R2 too. Why are you so against this Ben? Shouldn’t we have a pair of droids with us to watch our backs?”

“I mean, I guess but I can assure you PAD’s going to get himself deactivated if we bring him along.”

“Well then that’s on him. PAD, do you want to come along?”

“Yes.”

“No, PAD.”

“Kylo, you’re no longer being included in this decision,” PAD announced.

R2 whirred from the corner, laughing at the droids decisiveness.

“Wha-But I’m your master! I built you!!!”

PAD waved his hand a Ben, dismissing his point.

“Nope, I’m coming. You said to listen to Rey just as I would you, so I’m listening to her and she asked me to come along. Not going to say no to that!”

“Ugh, you’re such an ass PAD.”

Rey slapped Ben’s arm, “Stop discouraging the droid, he means well.”

“Ouch, hey.” Ben looked into the tiny woman’s red eyes, shocked at her once again stubborn attitude.

Rey merely smirked at Ben before searching for her goggles.

Rey found her goggles and head scarf and carefully wrapped herself up tight. She tightened her arm bindings before rejoining the group.

“You ready, love?”

“Yep.”

Ben passed Rey her blaster and saber, she carefully slung her saber staff over her back and holstered her blaster.

“Alright, let’s go.”

 

***

 

Ben, Rey, and the droids meandered through the streets of Theed.

Everything was just as vibrant and beautiful as it had been last time, but now, Rey was looking at things in a different light.

Her goggles filtered the bright light of the day to a dimmer, darker image which Rey appreciated.

The sun had lost its power to give her a headache.

Ben held Rey’s hand tightly as they walked through the streets carefully. Ben’s defenses were raised and he was on alert for anything, if a bug came within five feet of Rey he’d surely sense it.

The recent knowledge that Rey was being actively hunted was not something Ben was going to allow.

The group walked down a little alley before emerging onto main street.

Street vendors had set up tents, Rey was reminded of the vendors on Celanon…only the products these vendors were selling were fresh and vibrant in color and smell.

Flowers, food, animals, ship grease, you name it and it was there.

Rey took in all the colors, wishing she could look at them with her naked eyes.

Rey slowly reached up to remove her goggles but Ben immediately stopped her.

“Rey, you can’t.”

“Bu-“

“No.”

“Just for a second please?”

“Fine, if you wish.” Ben decided to let this one slide. Rey was stubborn and if he fought her on it, he was almost guaranteed to lose. Ben thought it best to save his breath for their next disagreement.

Rey walked up to an abandoned flower stand that leaned up against a railing on her toes. Ben thought her stance was awkward but cute, it was like she was afraid of scaring the flowers away.

Beyond the cement rail was a river canal, one of the many that flowed through Theed. Bright blue water gently flowed through it, sparkling in the sun.

Rey slipped her goggles up to her forehead, glancing around to see who was watching before doing so.

Rey soaked in all the colors of the stand, deep purples, bright blue, rosy pinks, ivories, oranges, greens, any color Rey could imagine was present on the table.

One flower, in particular, captivated Rey far more than the others.

“You like that one?”

“Yes.”

“It’s called the sunset tulip.”

“Sunset?”

“Yes, it’s pure white during the day but as the rich sun is setting, the flower changes to mimic the sky.”

PAD interrupted, “That’s not exactly how it-“

“I know PAD, I’m speaking in layman’s terms.”

“Oh.” PAD hushed himself.

R2 rolled towards the railing that looked over the canal as Rey continued to soak in the vibrant colors of the flowers.

“R2, what are you doing?” Ben asked as he ripped his attention off Rey and the beautiful flowers.

R2 beeped and whirred, looking from Rey, to the water, then back at Rey.

Rey walked out of the shade Ben’s large frame had been offering and towards the rail.

She placed a shaky hand on the rail, scared of what R2 was alerting them of.

Ben walked up beside the droid and Rey, he glanced over the rail desperately searching the water for any sign of movement of life.

“R2, I don’t see anything that should raise alarm.”

R2 whirred again.

“Of course you’re detecting life forms in there, it’s like an underwater highway for gungans and fish, specifically.”

PAD spoke once again, “Kylo, I thought gungans stuck to themselves in the abyss…”

“Ah, guess you need an update with your information, PAD. In recent years, the gungans have broadened their horizons of where they travel. Many of them live here, in Theed, now.”

“How unfortunate,” PAD stated.

“Unfortunate?” Rey asked.

“Gungans are a disgrace,” PAD shot.

“Oh?”

“PAD’s just being discriminatory, is that right PAD?”

“No, I despise them.”

“Man Ben, he gets ruder every day.”

Ben rolled his eyes, “Tell me about it.”

R2 whirred once again, calling for everyone to point their attention back to the waterway.

Rey leaned over the rail once again, finding herself having to rest more of her weight on it to avoid collapsing or experiencing another swimming lesson. She was growing increasingly dizzy; her head was pounding.

Rey blinked hard to refocus her vision, the edges of her sight were beginning to blur as her vision slipped in and out of focus.

“Ben, what are we supposed to be looking at?”

Ben had gone white, his mouth dry.

“Rey, don’t you see it?”

“See what?”

“The black blob… I…I think it’s the Kelpie.”

“What?!”

Rey leaned further over the rail to try to get a better look.

Ben abruptly yanked Rey into his arms, “Not so close to the edge Rey! Are you seriously telling me you couldn’t see it?”

“My vision was going blurry, I felt dizzy.”

“Do you still feel dizzy?” Ben asked, hugging Rey close to him.

Rey nodded into his chest.

“Okay, put your goggles back on.”

“It’s the eyes that are posing Rey so many issues, you dips.”

“What?” The pair asked in unison.

PAD shook his head, “Your eyes! Kelpies are creatures of the deep, they only come on land when it’s dark. You’re seeing through their eyes, that’s why the light is troubling you so much.”

“Why didn’t I realize that before?” Ben asked himself.

“Because you’re stupid.”

“Me? Stupid? I was smart enough to create you!”

“Beside the point. The Kelpie isn’t skimping in its attempts to feast, especially now that it’s had a taste of the meal that awaits.”

“How’d it follow us all the way here?” Rey asked.

R2 whirred.

Ben smacked the droid so hard Rey feared he’d leave a dent in its silver dome.

“You are not surrounded by a bunch of human idiots,” Ben shouted at the droid.

“Yes, we are,” PAD spoke on behalf of himself and R2. “We have to repeat ourselves every two seconds.”

“That’s an exaggeration, PAD.”

“Not really considering you ignore us constantly as well.”

“Hey, since when do droids have the cognitive function to form opinions like we do?”

“Beside the point,” PAD said once again. “The Kelpies use underwater trenches to travel, remember?”

“Yes.” Ben and Rey said in unison.

“The Kelpie just hopped on the underwater express lane and got here as fast as we did.”

“Oh Force, we can’t escape the thing.”

“Rey, it’s going to be fine.”

PAD’s robot voice laughed, “Sure, of course you’re going to say that, you’re not the one being hunted.”

“Not the time PAD. Rey, you’re going to be fine, nothing’s going to harm you. Not while I’m around.”

“I know, it’s just-“

“No, nothing’s going to harm you. Not while I’m around, I don’t care if the thing hunting you is a fly or an ancient mythical creature, one slice with our sabers will kill it in two seconds flat.”

“Yeah, lightsabers don’t kill Kelpies.” PAD suddenly announced.

“What?” Ben asked, bitterness clearly present on his tongue.

“Oh, did I not mention that? My bad, Kelpies can’t be killed by your sabers.”

“Well, this would’ve been valuable information to have before I come marching around in public with Rey!”

“You can kill Kelpies by poisoning them with japor wood.”

“Where the fuck do we get japor wood?” Ben shouted, similar to how he’d seen his father shout at 3PO so many times before. Ben even positioned himself before the droid in the same way.

“What _is_ japor wood?” Rey asked.

“It’s a wood found on Tatooine, native to the desert dustbowl.”

“Why would wood from Tatooine kill a Kelpie…a creature local to Naboo?”

“I guess the Force has a sense of humor, take something from the dry to kill the wet?”

“Great, I’m doomed.” Rey hopelessly declared, throwing her hands in the air to assist her statement.

“When do I get to meet the queen?” The impatient droid asked.

Ben groaned, “I guess now. Come on let’s go.”

He spit over the rail at the dark blob in the water before leading Rey towards the palace.

Rey smiled at Ben’s immaturity towards the creature but found it appropriate, considering.

 

***

 

Rey and Ben marched confidently into the palace.

“Isn’t it rude of us to walk into to the palace without an invitation?” PAD asked.

“Now… _now_ you think about what’s rude and what isn’t?” Ben hated PAD’s inconsistencies.

“It’s not rude if there’s no front door, PAD,” Rey responded.

“Heh, guess they’re still slacking on security,” Ben noted.

“Why would they need any, the only people who come marching in are us.”

“Good point.”

Ben and Rey yanked PAD and R2 up the palace stairs as they headed toward the throne room.

PAD complained the whole way.

 

***

 

The quirky group marched into the throne room only to find it empty.

“Where do you think they are?” Rey asked.

“I don’t know, lunch?” Ben proposed.

“I’d love some lunch!” Rey responded.

“No, I mean maybe they went to lunch.” Ben clarified.

“Oh, that’s a good bet, great now we need to find the dining room.”

“Yup, if you’re hungry Rey I’ll buy you something from the market.”

“No, I can manage.”

“You sure? You’ve only had a pear toda-“

R2 interrupted Ben’s statement.

“R2’s sensors say there’s a group of about nine people behind those doors.” Ben pointed to a set of large, opaque glass doors.

Rey ran over to the doors and pulled them open. Ben watched as she barged confidently into the room.

Ben jogged after Rey; before approaching the room he could hear the queen’s comrades already bickering over Rey’s sudden presence.

“Not her again.”

“Phil, have we still not gotten security?”

“I’m afraid not, Clawden.”

Ben finally made his way into the room and stood beside Rey.

He looked around the dining room. It was just as bright as the rest of the palace, large windows looked over a valley with many waterfalls and rivers flowing into it. In the center of the room was a large oak table with ten chairs around it, every chair was occupied except for one.

Ben’s eyes floated over the assorted council members, none of them seemed thrilled at his and Rey’s presence.

Ben’s eyes finally landed on the young queen. Today, her makeup was the same as it had been last time but her hair fanned itself out around her head. An elaborate blue dress accompanied the look.

“Mr. and Mrs. Solo, what brings you back? Was the lake house uncomfortable? Did you find it not to your liking?”

“No,” Rey spoke up. “There’s just been a lot of…”

“Recent developments,” Ben spoke.

“Yes, there have been a lot of developments in the recent days and we need to host a meeting with you. Well specifically, with the old woman who loves gossip. I don’t see her here today.” Rey noted.

“Aaushi?” The man with the beard spoke.

The queen shot him a piercing look for speaking on her behalf.

“Aaushi is out at the market today. Why do you wish to speak with her?”

Ben answered carefully, “I need to know what the First Order has been up to.”

PAD choked from behind the couple, having finally caught up to join them in the room.

“Did your droid just laugh?” The queen asked curiously.

“Uh, PAD this is the Queen of Naboo. Your majesty, this is PAD.”

R2 whirred in protest at having not been introduced.

“And that’s R2D2.”

“R2 I know, he was Padme’s droid many years ago.”

Ben and Rey didn’t dare ask how the queen knew who Padme’s droids were but had failed to learn who her husband was and instead kept their wonderings to themselves.

“I’m PAD,” PAD bowed.

“What a peculiar droid.”

“Peculiar, more like the best droid ever.”

The queen’s eyes widened at the droid’s confidence.

“Anyways,” Ben cleared his throat, drawing the attention back to his point and their reason for being there in the first place. “We wish to speak to Aaushi, we need answers.”

“Answers? Did I not tell you enough about the Kelpie?” PAD announced.

A roar of emotions flooded the council.

Ben turned to face PAD and Rey grabbed his arm.

“Damn you PAD. We weren’t going to tell them!” Ben spit through gritted teeth.

The queen spoke, anger and fear present in her voice. She stood from her chair and looked and Rey’s goggles with bulging eyes.

“The Kelpie? How do you know about the Kelpie?”

“We uhhh…” Ben couldn’t draw any words from his expanded vocabulary.

“They saw one,” PAD answered with an accusatory finger pointed at Ben and Rey.

“I’m going to shut you off if you dare utter one more word.” Ben was enraged.

A council member leaped from her seat, shaking her finger at the couple.

“The Kelpie are mythical creatures! You don’t know what you’re speaking of, besides a supposed sighting hasn’t happened in a hundred years!”

The queen turned her attention toward the angered woman, “Sciterp! Silence, only I will speak to the Jedi for now.”

“Uh we’re not-“ Rey began to say before the queen rudely interrupted her. _Jedi._ She finished the thought in her head.

“Silence! Why does your droid speak of the Kelpie?!”

“Because we sort of…”

“Spit it out!” The queen impatiently shouted.

“I saw one!” Rey announced.

“That’s impossible.”

“If it’s so impossible then how do you explain this?!” Ben unwound Rey’s scarf and ripped her goggles off, exposing the truth to everyone.

Shouts and screams erupted among the council.

The queen looked in shock, she was a frozen statue.

“No,” she whispered. “It’s not possible.”

“It is possible,” Ben announced. “Kelpies feed on the light in Force users.”

“Get her out of here!” Skiterp shouted. “Begone vile woman, you’re going to get us killed!”

“If the Kelpie _is,_ in fact, resurfacing for the first time in a hundred years, then we need to eradicate the issue.”

“But your majesty!”

“No! We can’t let her die because of something our ancestors failed to destroy.”

“But she’s been touched by a monster!”

Another council member spoke up, “Your majesty, we must not act impulsively. We don’t even know if the monster followed her here.”

PAD broke his silence, “We do. It’s in the city canals, we saw it no more than an hour ago.”

“Fuck!” The queen shouted.

The council went silent, the whole room froze and stared at the young monarch with gaping mouths.

“Mr. Solo, why is it that every time you walk through my door you bring groundbreaking news with you that throws everything into whack?”

Ben shrugged, “Not sure, to be fair you don’t actually have a door.”

“Fair point, alright well how do we kill this _thing_?”

“Japor wood is rumored to be a weakness of theirs.”

“Great, we don’t have any here.” The queen slumped into her chair, defeated.

“This is turning out to be one of the most dramatic turn of events that I think has ever transpired in this palace.” A council member declared.

“That’s for sure,” The queen agreed. “Alright, well... what _do_ we know about Kelpies?”

Ben spoke to the council, “Kelpies feed on the light in Force users before eating them all together. They shapeshift from their true form.”

“What is their true form?” The council member with a beard asked.

“Their true form is essentially darkness. However, Kelpies can morph into whatever they wish, making them unimaginably hard to hunt. Typically, they turn into a fish creature, a hooved creature, or they take on the form of a young woman. Kelpies only surface at night or when it’s dark like during a storm. We also know they stalk their prey before swapping eyes which is unbelievably apparent in Rey’s case.”

“Swapping eyes?” The queen asked.

“Kelpies captivate their prey with their large red eyes before eating them, it’s a way of control. The victim loses their ability to see normally but the catch is that the Kelpie also loses their ability to see. They give their victim their eyes until they get the chance to fully enjoy their meal. Generally, once the eye swap occurs the victim is devoured on the spot because the creature will have willed them into a trance.”

“When I was in my trance, Ben knocked me unconscious, breaking the trance and severing the Kelpie’s opportunity for an easy meal. Now, I’m being actively hunted by the Kelpie, it sees everything I see because I now have its eyes.” Rey added.

“What a confusing monster.”

“Yes, a complicated one indeed,” Ben added. “We’ve been trying to develop a way to beat the creature, if it can see everything Rey can _and_ can access her soul through her eyes, then can’t _we_ manipulate _it_ as well?”

“How so?” The queen was intrigued.

“Rey can manipulate the beast back, she can choose what she shows the thing. If we paint it a confusing picture then we’ll be able to have the upper hand in hunting it.”

“Excellent point, Solo.”

“We’re just trying to figure out how to do it…” Rey added.

“Well, I’m sure we can figure something out. We have about seven hours until it will be dark enough for the _thing_ to emerge. Handmaid!” The queen called.

“Yes, your majesty?”

“Set a required curfew for tonight. Everyone must be safely indoors by 6:00, no 5:30.”

“Very well, I’ll alert the public.”

“Now, you wish to speak to Aaushi?”

“Yes,” Ben answered. “We need to discover what major news has happened as of late that will be affecting the galaxy on a larger scale.”

“It has barely been a week since you first arrived here, how much do you think the First Order really could’ve accomplished since then?” The queen naively asked.

“More can happen in a day than you could possibly imagine, let alone a week.”

“Very well, my handmaiden will accompany you in finding Aaushi in the market.”

“Thank you, your majesty.” Rey bowed her head.

“Yes, thank you.” Ben mirrored Rey’s bow.

“Enough bowing, go get answers. Might I say, Rey, red makes you look fierce.”

“Noted.” Rey winked as she placed her goggles back over her eyes and re-wrapped her scarf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It's a little shorter than some of the other recent chapters have been but not by much. The update speed is probably going to be a little slower for a short time because I'm so busy right now but who knows. How are you all liking PAD? #PADforPresident (only @kylandadragan will get lol)
> 
> Thank you everyone for your support in writing this fic! I've been having so much fun with it! Have a few ideas for a couple of one shots as well so those might be coming soon. Who knows when I'll actually get around to writing them. So many ideas, so little time (and sometimes motivation).


	20. Aaushi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben, Rey, PAD, and R2 have a sit down chat with Aaushi. Ben confronts yet another ghost of his past in the process of placing the Japor wood that will be used to defeat the Kelpie.

Rey, Ben, and the droids followed the handmaiden back into the streets of Theed.

PAD waved to the queen as he exited the palace. The droid was excited to have been brought along on the adventure, even if his programming didn’t permit him to feel such emotions.

Rey and Ben walked through the market with the handmaiden.

Rey admired the handmaid’s dress, it was as orange as the sun and light as a feather. Bright and beautiful, the handmaiden beneath it was equally as lovely as the dress. Kind and polite, she spoke to Rey about her travels. The handmaiden, surprisingly, had never left Naboo.

Ben fell behind Rey and the handmaiden, allowing them a comfortable distance to entertain a nice conversation. Ben was surprised at how easily Rey could speak to strangers. Evidently, she was the type who could make friends easily. Ben felt a twang of jealousy, he wondered how his life would be different if he was good at conversing and engaging with beings in general.  

As the group marched closer to the market, the handmaiden mentioned Aaushi quite enjoyed visiting the fruit stands, so that was their first destination.

When they passed the flower stands, Ben quickly peeled off from the group and stopped at the stand with the sunset tulips. He picked one from the bunch and left a credit on the stand before quickly rejoining the group. Luckily, Rey and the handmaiden were so lost in conversation they failed to notice his lack of presence. PAD nearly blew his cover but Ben managed to cover PAD’s voice modulator before he spoke up.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Oh, sorry Kylo.” The droid apologized. He was beginning to understand just how captivated Ben was by Rey. The droid foresaw a ring in the near future.

Ben winked at the droid, grateful he was finally understanding his mannerisms towards Rey.

The handmaid continued to steer them in the right direction. Eventually, they came across the first of the many fruit stands that lined the streets.

Bright yellow and pink fruits shined like jewels in the warm afternoon sun. Ben had never seen anything like some of the exotic fruits before.

Out of the corner of Ben’s eye, he saw an old woman desperately trying to slip some pears into her robes. She looked relatively ordinary, that is, except for her silver slippers that caught the sunlight in an unforgiving manner.

Ben whistled at Rey and the handmaiden, who had slipped ahead. He nodded in the direction of Aaushi and pointed at her with his thumb.

The group approached the old woman kindly.

“Aaushi, were you trying to steal just now?” Ben asked; threads of accusation polluted his voice but his eyes were kind and accepting.

“Ugh, not you two again.” The old woman rolled her sunken eyes. The light caught them just right as she looked into Rey’s goggles, confused as to why the young woman was wearing them on such a lovely day.

Rey answered the grey eyes almost immediately, “We have some catching up to do.”

“Catching up to do? You speak as though we’ve met many times before, as though we’re old friends.”

“What Rey means to say, is that we need your help.” Ben corrected.

“With what?” The woman placed her hand on her hip. She rolled her head to look at Ben while her old skin wrinkled more, dry and old parts of her leathery skin looked dehydrated and raisiny.

“First of all, we need to catch up on some gossip,” Rey added.

“Gossip? I’m listening.” Aaushi’s attention had been captured.

“Well, we were actually hoping you could be the one to fill us in first.”

“Great, well, I will help you, I just have to grab my groceries first.”

“Very well.”

 

***

 

The group meandered through the halls of the palace before settling in the courtyard. The handmaiden politely excused herself, offering true privacy to Aaushi and the group.

“Aaushi,” Rey began, “can you tell us what the first order has been up to in the last week or so?”

“Specifically focus on what has Hux been doing now that he’s named himself Supreme Leader?” Ben added.

“Hmmm, let me think.” Aaushi gently rubbed her chin as she looked at the trickling water in the fountain that rested in the center of the courtyard.

“Oh! He held a conference,” Aaushi remembered.

“A conference? With who?”

“The galactic bankers I believe. I heard a wild theory that he’s trying to gather the funds to construct a second Starkiller.”

“Well, that won’t go over well,” Rey mumbled.

“Sorry dear, if you’re going to say something you’re going to have to speak up.”

“Never mind.” Rey practically shouted.

“Dear child, now you’re too loud, just please don’t mumble. Okay?”

Rey nodded her head in acknowledgment.

Ben cleared his throat before beginning to speak again, “Where was this conference held and was it broadcasted?”

“The conference took place on Coruscant and was a private affair. I only know about it because of the HoloVideo footage I saw of Hux and the bankers entering their meeting space.”

“Alright, so Coruscant. That’s good, that means the First Order fleet is no longer hanging around where we don’t want them. Aside from this…meeting, has anything else transpired?”

“You two are still the most wanted folk in the galaxy and there are search parties looking for you everywhere.”

“Well, we figured that.” Rey rolled her eyes.

“What about you?” Aaushi asked, taking both Rey and Ben by surprise. “What have you two been doing to occupy yourselves out in the Lake Country?”

“Not much,” Rey responded.

“Oh,” Aaushi laughed, “I see.”

Rey blushed at Aaushi’s assumptions, “No, it’s not what you think.”

A smile grew across Ben’s face, reaching his eyes as he suppressed a chuckle.

“Rey constructed a lightsaber and I gave her a swimming lesson, well sort of.”

“Ben and I have also meditated a lot and Ben’s cooked a few things for me.”

“Oh, the former Supreme Leader cooks?” Aaushi asked, surprised at the newfound fact.

“Yes, he does.” Rey smiled, rubbing Ben’s shoulder supportively.

“Well, I can cook some things, my skills are exclusively refined to simple meals though.” Ben clarified.

“I see, well it sounds as though you two have been enjoying yourselves out there.”

“For the most part, it’s been great!” Rey responded remembering the most recent situation that had transpired.

“For the most part?” Rey had caught Aaushi’s attention, “What hasn’t been great about your time in seclusion? Trouble in paradise?”

“Well, we sort of had a run in with an ancient and mythical beast that’s been in hiding for a hundred years or so.”

“Oh? Which one?”

 _Which one? Does she mean there’s more than one ancient mythical beast on Naboo?_ Rey thought to Ben.

 _I don’t know, I’m guessing there probably is._ Ben responded with a slight shrug of his hulking shoulders.

“The Kelpie,” Rey concluded.

“Oh child, I’m shocked you’re still alive! Is that why you’re donning these brand-spanking-new goggles that look like they were made for the functionality in the desert instead of fashion?”

Rey nodded.

PAD suddenly spoke up, after remaining silent for a majority of the time since meeting Aaushi, “You should see her eyes, they’re a trip.”

“I am interested to see them, come on…let’s go.” Aaushi waved her hand, motioning for Rey to remove her coverings faster.

Rey slowly unwound her scarf and slipped off her goggles.

Her ruby eyes pierced Aaushi’s grey ones, Aaushi could practically feel the darkness cut through her with a single glance.

“How peculiar, anyone who has ever come in contact with a Kelpie died on the spot because they were unable to escape its tight grasp on their mind. I’m assuming these are the Kelpie’s eyes?” Aaushi pointed to Rey’s eyes, asking PAD if her hypothesis was correct.

“Yes, Madame. The price for what we owe.”

Ben couldn’t refrain a smirk at PAD’s formality. _Madame._

“Huh, well good luck to you, dear one. I certainly won’t be anywhere near you when the _thing_ comes tonight.”

“We’re not asking you to be, but we were wondering if you would know how we can find japor wood,” Ben announced.

“Japor wood?”

“You heard correct, japor wood.”

“Well, Tatooine would be a good place to start if you’re looking for that.”

“I think you understand why that’s not an option right now,” Ben stated.

“Why don’t you just leave the planet?” Aaushi asked.

“We haven’t thought about that,” Rey realized.

“Nope, that won’t work,” PAD announced.

“And why not?” Aaushi asked.

“Because, the Kelpie has a part of your soul. If you leave the atmosphere, you’re separating yourself farther and farther away from that part of yourself the Kelpie is holding close. It will be unimaginably painful and on top of that, your eyes will forever look like that.”

“Great, so we really have to kill it with the japor wood that apparently doesn’t exist anywhere off of Tatooine.”

“No, I didn’t say that,” Aaushi clarified, “There is a necklace constructed from the wood, of which you seek, here on Naboo.”

“Great, perfect, where?” Ben impatiently asked.

“Your grandmother’s memorial.

“You’re joking, right?”

“No, when Anakin was a child he constructed a necklace for Padme and offered it to her as a gift. She wore it always and still wears it, even in death.”

“Ben, I think _that_ was the necklace the queen was talking about when we first visited the memorial.”

“Maybe, but I don’t want to dig up my grandmother just to steal her necklace.”

“Mr. Solo, it seems that necklace is your only hope.”

“Kriff.” Ben rubbed his sore eyes with a heavy hand. _This is great, just great!_

“Well, sounds like you two know what you have to do…you didn’t get the idea to grave-rob your grandmother from me.” Aaushi raised her hands in an innocent way as she turned to walk off.

Ben and Rey watched the only woman leave, their eyes following her until she had completely vanished behind a large stone column.

“So, you guys are grave robbers now?” PAD asked.

“No.”

R2 whirred.

“I know what it might sound like R2, but we’re not!” Ben protested the droid’s incessant beeps.

“Screw off.” Rey spat at the dome droid.

“When do you want to go be criminals?” Ben asked.

“Hmmm, I think I’m free now, but I have an obligation that begins around sunset.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re home on time.” Ben continued the playful banter.

Rey laughed as she grabbed Ben’s hand and they started off towards Padme’s memorial.

 

***

 

Rey stood outside the memorial in silence as Ben climbed the stairs quietly.

With every step, Ben took a breath. He couldn’t believe he was about to steal from his grandmother’s corpse. He couldn’t believe the amount of disrespect he was about to bring her, to his family.

Ben was shaking.

Panicked at Rey’s _situation_ , unable to ignore his mother’s itch in the back of his mind, his knights hum that continued to buzz through his ears, the knowledge that Hux was getting additional funding, the thought that the galaxy had fallen into the worst hands possible and he’d sat back and allowed himself to fall in love while letting it happen.

Ben reached the top of the stairs, he took a breath as he looked through the large, dark archway.

The Force flowed around him, pulling him towards his grandmother’s resting place.

Ben twisted the balls of his feet against the soles of his shoes, shifting his balance from foot to foot.

He stood frozen, unable to move.

Ben looked over his shoulder slowly, glancing down the monument’s stairs to the beautiful woman who was waiting for him at the bottom.

Rey smiled up at Ben and winked, her red eyes shone brightly in the shade.

Rey shooed Ben with her hand, ushering him in.

 _It’s okay. You can do this. If you’d rather me do it, I can though._ Rey thought.

_No, it’s okay Rey. Just stay there and take a break, I can do this. It has to be me who does it._

_Alright, good luck._

_Thanks. I could really use some luck right now._ Ben thought to himself.

He sighed as he focused once again on the concealed grave.

Ben took a step forward, lifting his heavy leg as though it was dragging a bag of rocks. Ben took another step forward, releasing a shaky, hot breath. He relied on the slow momentum of his arms to propel him through the thick, stale air.

Time passed slowly as Ben trudged towards the arch, everything moved in slow motion. Ben blinked slowly, he breathed slowly, he stepped slowly, he felt heavy and strange. Everything was _slow._

Ben finally reached the arch, his arm reached out and held his burdensome body as the Force continued to pull him further into the monument.

Ben blinked one last time before running into the monument, his adrenaline pumped as he broke the invisible barrier between the outside world and the cold tomb.

Surrounded by darkness, Ben felt uneasy. The hair on the back of his neck stood uncomfortably, _a Force connection? Why now?_ Ben thought.

“ _I’m sorry love, I’m afraid it’s not a Force connection.”_

Ben’s ears perked up at the echo of the motherly voice. His head whipped around, glancing deeper and deeper into the dark tomb.

“ _Last time someone so conflicted came to visit me, it was my husband.”_ The voice spoke.

_Padme._

_“Hello, Ben.”_

An apparition appeared in front of Ben. The woman that stood before him was beautiful, her skin was smooth, her eyes pained. Her hair was set in curls, her dress was burdening. Blue and heavy. Even as a ghost, Padme still seemed to be trying to carry a great weight on her delicate shoulders.

“Grandmother.” Ben looked at his deceased ancestor with tears in his dark eyes.

“ _Ben, I’m delighted to finally meet you.”_

Ben thought of all the things he had done wrong, all the mistakes he’d made, all the pain he’d inflicted.

“ _Don’t surround yourself in the darkness of the past, dear one. Live in the present and look at the light in your future.”_

“How did you do it? Do everything?”

“ _I don’t know, I still don’t think I succeeded at doing everything.”_

 _“_ But you did,” Ben protested, “You were queen, a leader in the Senate, a wife, a warrior, what didn’t you do?”

“ _I was never a mother.”_ Sadness reached the apparition’s eyes. “ _That’s my biggest regret, even in death. I had to sit back and wallow in my naïveness. I was forced to watch the galaxy continue to fall apart for decades. I had no other choice than to watch my children grow up on opposite sides of the galaxy. I couldn’t justify what I saw as my children’s father, my husband, ran around in a suit standing as a man that even his spirit protested.”_

“I know, life sucks and when you’ve departed from the living plain you live among the Force, constantly tortured by the visuals of everything you left behind.”

“ _Exactly, this brings me to my point. Remember Ben, I’m no longer alive. You’re honoring me every day the light grows in you.”_

“Thank you, Padme.”

“ _So, when are you going to go save Rey?”_

“I don’t know if I have the strength to disrespect your grave the way I need to.” Ben’s livelihood was depleted, his spirit deflated, his hope unrecognizable.

“ _I give you permission to do what you have to, Ben. Go kill the beast.”_

“You’re allowing me to steal what’s yours? What was a symbol of your love and reason to live?”

 _“It’s no longer mine, I’m dead. Take it, use it, honor it_.”

“Thank you, grandma.”

Padme began to fade as she reached up to press her hand to Ben’s heart. “ _Remember the love and the strength you have in here_.”

Padme evaporated, leaving the air swirling around Ben chilled and cool.

Ben walked towards the cement tomb with newfound strength, speaking to his grandmother had calmed him immensely.

Ben’s boots met the floor with purpose and direction. Ben’s strides were long and straight, his legs no longer felt like they’d crumble under the weight of his burdens.

When he reached the cement carving of Padme, Ben placed his hand on the side of the tomb. A final sign of respect.

He reached out with his feelings and called on the Force, Ben could feel Padme’s presence still floating around the room. Accompanied by the presence of Anakin as well, Ben felt encouraged and sure.

His fingers twitched within his father’s old gloves as he used the Force to push the thick cement carving aside.

The rock budged slightly as Ben intensified his focus. Dust began to rain from the ceiling as the tomb began to grumble. The large stained-glass window was still the sole source of light, casting a rainbow of color over the black room.

Ben groaned as he finished pushing the carved stone aside, it fell to the floor with a ground-breaking thud.

Ben wiped beads of sweat from his temple as he walked over to rest his eyes upon Padme.

He looked over her sleeping body, she’d been perfectly preserved. Had Ben not known when she became one with the Force, he would’ve guessed she had passed yesterday.

The only sign that she had been buried for as long as she had was present in the flowers that peppered her hair. Buds that were once white and lovely were now black and lifeless, ready to disintegrate at the gentlest of touches.

Padme’s features were marble, smooth and perfect. Her dress looked stiff as it clung to her sleeping form. Ben’s eyes glanced over his grandmother, she was beautiful. He caught glimpses of his mother in her.

Ben thought back to when he’d have a bad dream as a child. He remembered how he’d sneak into his parents’ room ever so silently. Tip-toeing on the cool floor, he’d try to be as quiet as possible. Ben would carefully climb into his parents’ bed and snuggle between them, reminding himself that the dark shadows couldn’t get to him when he was near the safety of his parents. Ben recalled his mother’s sleeping features, her eyelashes fell against her cheek so lightly they might as well have been non-existent. Her lips would sit rested and at peace in a slight smile.

Padme looked like his mother would when she was asleep, they shared the same eyelashes and lips. Same chin too.

Ben’s eyes traced down Padme’s resting form to the necklace laced between her cold fingers.

Ben reached for the necklace but before he touched it he looked back towards his grandmother’s face. It was as though he was waiting for her to wake up, for her to come back.

_If only things were that simple._

Ben carefully took the necklace from his grandmother, it slipped easily from her grasp. In its’ place, he left a single bead on her stuffed stomach. The bead belonged to his mother and he carried it with him as a good luck charm. Ben never let the bead leave his pocket, only now he felt it belonged here, with Padme.

Ben stepped away from the stone grave and called the Force once again as he pulled the carved stone back over his grandmother, tucking her into sleep for the last time.

Ben left the tomb feeling lighter.

He held the necklace carefully in his hands. The wood was heavier than he’d expected, the charm had been made with care and love. He finally had a family relic that wasn’t cursed.

 

***

 

Ben bounded down the steps of the monument and sprinted towards Rey.

He caught her off guard when he picked her up around the waist as he spun them in a circle, kissing her passionately.

“Ben, what are you doing?” Rey asked between kisses.

“Appreciating what I have, I’m living in the present and looking towards the light of our future.”

Rey smiled at Ben’s sweet response, “Okay, I think I like your new outlook on life. Did you get the necklace?”

Ben set Rey down as he took the necklace and carefully draped it around her neck.

“I did.”

“Wow Ben, it’s a lovely necklace.”

“It is.” Ben admired the carved wood. “What makes it better is knowing that this little piece of wood gifted by Anakin to my grandmother is going to save your life.”

Rey stood on her toes as she embraced Ben once again. “You truly have an amazing family, you know that?”

“Yup, I also know that they wreak havoc on the galaxy far too often.”

Rey laughed, “You Skywalkers are cursed.”

A smirk carefully grew across Ben’s face.

Rey laughed, “What’s that smirk for? You look mischievous.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Come on, I was thinking we could have a sunset dinner before you know…killing some ancient beast.”

“That’d be nice, it’s getting late too.”

“It is, come on.” Ben grabbed Rey’s hand as they raced back towards the palace.

 

***

 

The buoyant couple marched confidently into the palace for the third time without invitation, only they figured no one minded anymore. After all, their droids _were_ getting cleaned up on the queen’s expense.

Ben pulled Rey to the right instead of the normal left that would lead them to the meeting room. He led her into a large kitchen, they sneakily crept across the tile floor. The cool tile made radiated into Rey’s palms making her shiver slightly.

“Shhh,” Ben whispered through a finger he’d raised over his lips, “let’s grab some wine, hm?”

“Sounds good to me.” Rey giggled.

Ben and Rey crawled on the cool tile floor of the kitchen. They were careful to stay out of eyeshot from any of the kitchen staff.

Ben snuck into the wine cellar while Rey snuck into the pantry. They decided to divide and conquer to get out of the kitchen faster and to get back out into the light of day while they still could.

Rey grabbed some cheese and crackers as well as a few apples. She’d never had any of the things she grabbed before but was excited to try them anyways.

Ben looked through the wine cellar carefully. He wondered if Rey had ever tried wine before; he figured she hadn’t. Ben grabbed a nice white wine and a red blend; two incredibly different drinks for them to try.

He crawled out of the wine cellar with the bottles in tow and together, he and Rey slithered out of the kitchen. They giggled the whole way and Ben was sure one of the chefs had seen them. He didn’t care.

Ben and Rey ran through the palace with their goods. They sprinted up a spiral staircase before halting halfway up the vertical tunnel. Ben hoisted Rey out a window where she leaped onto a domed roof. Ben joined her and they ascended to the roof’s peak together, still holding their kitchen scavenge near and dear.

The couple looked across the skyline of the city, cataloging every beautiful detail they’d seen before but focused on remembering it from a different perspective.

The breeze was gentle and sweet. The waterways that flowed through the city sparkled in the golden light. The city’s residents had begun their migration inside, abiding the curfew set for the night. Rey watched the golden ball sink lower in the sky, every second that passed it fell bit by bit towards the horizon. The dark colors of the night had begun to impose themselves on the once bright sky, a navy-blue hue was set above them while pinks and vibrant oranges sat on the horizon waiting to rejoice at the sun’s final descent.

“Remember the sunset tulip I was telling you about?” Ben asked, pulling something out from his vest pocket carefully.

“Mmhmm.” Rey hummed, her eyelids were closed as they felt the last of the sun’s warmth on her skin.

“A gift?” Ben proposed the flower to Rey.

She opened her eyes carefully and looked at the white flower.

“Oh, Ben! Thank you!” She grabbed his face for yet another sensual embrace.

“Do you want to change the flower now? So you can forever remember _this_ sunset, _this_ moment?”

“I don’t think I need a flower to remember this, but I’d love to change it anyway.” Rey held the flower to the light of the golden sun, allowing it to match the sunset. The initial change was slow, little bits of orange and pink dotted the white flower. It was like the sun was painting with pointillism, taking it’s time to get every dot of color just right.

As Rey looked into the sun, she was surprised her headache hadn’t returned. She figured it was because of the time of day, the Kelpie would be coming soon and its hour on land would begin any minute now.

Ben ate a cracker with cheese as he sat silently beside Rey. The warm sun felt good on his skin, he was so deprived of sun exposure and Jakku’s sun was not a great experience. Ben rejoiced in the simple joy the private moment was supplying.

The sun was warm, welcoming, and gentle.

“Would you like some wine?” Ben asked.

Rey nodded as she admired her fully changed flower, it was just as lovely as before only now it was an entirely different being. Or maybe it wasn’t? Just because it got a little color didn’t mean its’ original self was gone, it was just a little changed.

Rey held the sunset in her hand as she watched the ball continue to descend towards the horizon, inch by inch. Breath by breath and blink after blink, the ball fell faster.

“Kriff, I forgot to grab wine glasses,” Ben announced, disappointed at his obvious failure to plan a special evening successfully.

Rey laughed, “That’s okay Ben. We’ll drink it straight from the bottle, nothing wrong with that.”

“You are so uncivilized, I love it.” Ben was beaming.

Rey stuck her tongue out at Ben as she took the lighter colored bottle from him. Ben had already taken out the cork so all Rey had to do was drink the pale liquid.

She lifted the rim of the yellow bottle to her lips and took a sip, tasting it. Rey allowed the flavor to dance and flourish on her tongue. She decided it was good so Rey took a larger sip; it was practically a gulp.

“I take it you liked that?”

“Mmhmm,” Rey swallowed, “It’s really good.”

“I think so too,” Ben grabbed the bottle and took a sip for himself. The wine was sweet, more of a dessert wine but he figured he’d start Rey off with sweet to get her accustomed to the taste.

“I also grabbed a red if you’d like to try that. It’s a little more bitter.”

“I think the white is good.” Rey smiled as she took another sip. Rey handed the bottle back to Ben as she leaned against his shoulder.

The breeze had turned cold as it nipped at the couple’s backs.

The first bit of sun dipped beyond the horizon and Rey felt Ben sigh, almost as though he was sad to see it leave.

“We,” Ben took a sip, “Are going to get drunk if we don’t slow our roll.”

Rey took the bottle from Ben as she took another sip, “Isn’t it wine. How drunk can we really get on this stuff?”

“Oh, you have no idea.” Ben took yet another sip. “It’s far too easy to drink too much wine,” he lifted the bottle for inspection. “Look, we’ve already slurped down like…half the bottle and we’re drinking on empty stomachs.”

“Oh, it’s finnneeee Ben. Stop worrying about getting a little drunk.”

“I’m just keeping the Kelpie in mind, it is coming for you tonight after all.”

“No, it’s not. Remember, we’re going to kill it.”

“I know.” Ben looked out towards the horizon at the half-sunken ball of sun.

“What is it, Ben? Why am I sensing concern? Doubt? _Fear_?”

“I guess I’m just worried. I don’t want you to get hurt. That’s all.”

“Ben, I’ll be fine.”

Ben hugged Rey as he looked across the horizon once again. The sky was growing increasingly dark; more and more stars twinkled reminding Ben to remember the light that can be found in any field of darkness.

Ben loved the stars, he used to try to count them when he was young and couldn’t sleep. Only now, the more stars he could count meant the less amount of time he and Rey had until the Kelpie surfaced.

He could practically feel _it_ growing nearer. The darkness was coming but he had his light in his arms and knowing that, calmed his nerves enough to allow his to take a deep breath.

Rey grabbed her flower and held it close to her heart, holding the sunset near as it chased the setting sun.

The darkness now fully enveloped the couple, they yearned for the light of day. The stars twinkled like the surface of the lake had. Naboo’s moons filled the sky with a dim glow.

Ben’s eyes began tracing the streets for any sign of movement.

Rey looked across the city as well, looking for _anything._

“Rey, stop looking. The Kelpie is able to see everything you’re seeing, it’ll purposefully avoid exposing itself to your line of sight.”

“Good point.” Rey closed her eyes as she hugged Ben closer and tighter than ever before.

Ben glanced into the city streets, his eyes caught sight of a woman sneaking through the darkness. The woman had long black hair and walked in the nude. She stumbled every now and then, as though she was walking blindly.

Rey noticed Ben’s sudden stiffness, “Ben, what’s wrong…do you, do you see _it?”_

Ben cleared his throat before composing an answer, he hugged Rey to him as tightly as he could. “You’re going to be okay Rey, I won’t let _it_ get you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is all about the Kelpie! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, especially that cute little date of theirs at the end!   
> Feedback is, as always, greatly appreciated and welcomed. :)   
> So much has yet to happen it's insane! This is a fun and long road...


	21. Kill the Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey struggle with the realization that they're about to face the Kelpie with no real plan as to how they're going to defeat it...

Ben and Rey hastened from the roof quickly, leaving everything behind including the flower that will forever hold the sunset of that perfect moment.

Ben led Rey carefully back to the window from which they had snuck out of, no more than an hour ago. Rey continued to walk blindly, led only by Ben’s hand and the immense amount of trust she had in him.

When Rey accidentally stumbled on a stair, Ben instinctively Force pulled her into his strong arms. He carried her as he sprinted through the palace looking for anyone who could help them decide what to do. Nearly all of the palace staff were in hiding from the inevitable arrival of the beast.

Even though they were immune to its’ spell, no one wanted to be around when the Kelpie made its debut.

Rey shielded her foreign eyes in the dark cavity of Ben’s chest. She wouldn’t give the Kelpie the pleasure of seeing where they were going. No, the Kelpie had to work for her meal and Rey would be the hardest prey to capture of all time.

Ben ran to the courtyard, where the droid mechanics had agreed to leave PAD and R2. As promised, there they were.

The two droids sat all alone in the courtyard. They were powered off, the cool light of the moon reflected off R2’s metallic dome casting a silver glare over the stone floor.

The abandoned droids looked creepy all alone in the darkness.

Ben ran to PAD and powered him on.

“PAD, personal assistant droid at your service.” PAD began.

Ben interrupted the obnoxious droid, immediately getting to his questions.

“PAD, enough of that. How do we kill the Kelpie once we’ve obtained the Japor wood?”

“I’m sorry Kylo. It appears you interrupted my powering on process, please repeat your question.”

“Fuck, PAD! Listen to me! How do we kill the Kelpie once we’ve obtained the Japor wood?!”

“You have to trick the Kelpie into eating its meal.”

“What?” Rey asked, her voice muffled by Ben’s chest.

“You’re saying we have to let it eat Rey anyways?!”

“Yes, but the power of the Japor wood will infect the Kelpie from the inside out killing it in a slow and painful process.”

“What about Rey?! After it eats her soul, what happens?”

“I’m not sure,” PAD responded.

“You’re not sure?” Ben was fuming.

“That is correct, Kylo.”

“I can’t fucking believe this!” Kylo screamed, his voice echoed through the hollow halls of the mostly abandoned palace.

“Ben, it’s going to be okay,” Rey assured.

“We can’t risk it, Rey!”

“No, it’s going to be okay. PAD just doesn’t know what happens next, maybe the outcome just hasn’t been recorded or PAD couldn’t find the data file for it.”

“PAD, how do you know Japor wood kills Kelpies anyways?” Ben asked, suddenly realizing all hope may be lost.

“I just do, there was no epilogue that followed the information.”

“Great, that’s just great. The Kelpie’s slithering through the streets right now looking for you and we don’t even have a solid plan for killing the damn thing!”

“Yes, we do Ben!” Rey yelled. “I’m going to go to it and let the Japor wood work its magic.”

“It’s too risky Rey! I can’t let you do it, I can’t lose you like that.” Ben’s voice broke as he held Rey tighter than ever before.

“It’s going to be okay, Ben.”

 Ben’s emotions got the better of him as he began to sob into Rey’s hair. The chances of losing her were too high, the odds not good enough. He suddenly felt like his dad, _never tell me the odds._ He wished he didn’t know the odds. He wished he didn’t know just how _bad_ they were.

Ben remembered the many times the odds had been stacked against his parents in the past.

_The chances of successfully navigating an asteroid field are approximately 3,720 to 1!_

The chances of surviving a Kelpie attack was approximately 3,487 to 1.

That was enough.

Hell, the odds of making it out of this was better than navigating an asteroid field, which was something Ben had also done with his dad as a child. He swore he’d never tell his mom, to this day he was sure she _still_ didn’t know.

“You’re right Rey. It’s going to be okay, we can make it out of this.” Ben spoke his words more in an effort to convince himself they were true instead of Rey.  

Ben continued to hold Rey close as he heard footsteps approaching from behind him. They were soft, reminiscent of the soft pitter patter of rain.

Ben turned slowly, afraid of the face he’d look upon.

Ben’s eyes met the eyes of a young woman caught between childhood, womanhood, and her role as queen of a planet.

 

***

 

“Your majesty,” Ben said, still trying to compose himself from his recently shed tears.

“That’s the queen?” PAD asked far too loudly. “The same queen I met earlier?”

“Yes, why? Am I not what you imagined to be under all of the makeup and uncomfortable dress?” The queen stood proudly in her pajamas once again looking her age. Her black hair fell from a messy ponytail while only one of her feet wore a sock. She looked like a mess that had recently been dragged out of a trash compactor.

“Yeah, not what I expected. You look like a homeless person one would find on the lower streets of Coruscant. A piece of advice your majesty, if you ever want to get married, don’t sleep in the same room as your betrothed. The engagement will be called off immediately. I’m calling it now!” PAD declared.

“Woah, Mr. Solo, you’ve got one rude droid there.”

“I know, he’s a piece of shit. I’m reprogramming him after all of this is over, if I don’t he’ll surely march himself straight to the scrap yard with his mouth.”

“That’s for sure.” The queen giggled. “Rey, is that you I see tucked up in Mr. Solo’s arms?”

“Yes,” Rey responded into Ben’s chest. “Good evening Maydey.” Rey blindly waved to the queen, who she’d referred to by her birth name.

“So, what are you guys doing sneaking through my palace when there’s a Kelpie out there?” The queen asked.

“Well, we were on the roof when we saw _it.”_

“You saw _it?”_

Ben nodded. “That’s why Rey’s tucking her face into my chest right now, she’s covering her eyes.”

“Couldn’t you just blindfold her?” May asked.

“We _could_ just blindfold me but if we did that, then I wouldn’t have an excuse to stay in Ben’s arms and breath him in!” Rey responded without a thread of embarrassment or shame.

The queen giggled at Rey’s response, “Fair enough. So, what’s your plan? Aaushi mentioned she found you and you guys developed a plan of some kind.”

“We did. We got the Japor wood we were looking for and are currently trying to execute ‘said plan’. There are a few kinks we haven’t worked out yet and a few… possible outcomes. Most of them aren’t in our favor.” Ben said bluntly.

“Well, that’s pleasant.”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind your worshipfulness,” Ben began, “after we wrap all of this up, Rey and I are going to leave.”

“I understand.” The queen nodded her head. She fully understood Ben and Rey’s reasons for leaving and she respected them for making the right choice. They had the galaxy to save, lounging in the sun wasn’t going to help them accomplish that.

“We have a lot of business to attend to, some meetings to have, and many strategies to make.”

“I support you fully. I wish you the best of luck and would like to tell you both, that you have Naboo’s support.”

“What?” Rey asked, turning her head to look at the queen.

“You have Naboo’s support in whatever the Resistance or the Solo’s need. We are finally choosing a side in this war, we side with you.” The queen spoke confidently, once again acting beyond her years despite still wearing one sock and a retainer.

“Thank you so much, May!” Rey ran from Ben’s arms to May’s. She grabbed the youth and pulled her into a warm hug.

The queen ripped herself away from Rey’s grasp when she realized the grave mistake Rey had just made.

“R-Rey? You opened your eyes!” The queen shrieked.

“Great!” PAD exclaimed, clearly exasperated and once again annoyed at the foolish scavenger’s impulsive behavior.

“No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!” Ben repeated over and over again as he ran and scooped Rey up.

Ben scanned the halls of the palace, looking for any sign of the Kelpie. So far, the Kelpie was still MIA.

“Dammit Rey! Your majesty, I would like to apologize a million times over for this but we need to go. It was nice meeting you and we appreciate your hospitality but we’ve got some loose strings to tie up.”

“Of course, go!” The queen ushered the couple to defeat the monster.

Ben and Rey through the palace halls, directing the droids to the _Falcon_ that was still parked on the outskirts of the city.

 

***

 

The queen sprinted to the roof, in search of a better view of the city below.

When she got to the roof, she found Ben and Rey’s dinner picnic and the flower that held the sunset in its petals.

The queen picked up the flower and the near empty wine bottle. Her eyes scanned Theed’s main street. Her scared eyes caught glimpse of the Kelpie stumbling towards Ben, who was still sprinting with Rey in his hands.

May gulped the last sip of wine, “Well may the fucking Force be with them! Kriff, they need it!”

The queen pulled a COM device from her pajama pant pocket.

Her eyes examined the two blinking red lights as she remembered Rey’s red eyes. She only hoped her gift for Ben and Rey would be ready in time for their hasty departure.

The queen pressed her thumb on the talk button, “Have you left the residence yet?”

An unrecognizable voice responded, “Yes, every belonging from the departed Senator’s bedroom have been packed.”

“Including the men’s clothing in the dressers?”

“Yes. Every dress, gown, earing, jewel, or robe imaginable has been wrapped up.”

“Good,” the queen spoke, “Make sure the items you have are stored in the right compartment. One that is compatible with a Corellian YT-1300 series freighter.”

“Yes, your majesty. It was difficult to track one down so last minute, but we got out hands on the right one.”

“Good, be sure to attach it properly to the ship on the outskirts of town. My friends will be departing in no time, so be quick.”

“Very well your majesty, the job will be finished in no more than twenty minutes from now.”

“Thank you, general.”

The queen’s manicured fingers ended the COM call as she glanced over the main street once again.

 

***

 

Ben sprinted through the palace faster than he thought his legs could ever carry him.

Every heavy step propelled him closer to the inevitable. Closer to the uncertainties of the Kelpie, closer to the darkness of night.

Rey held onto him as tightly as she could, not daring to loosen her tight grip around his neck. Her knuckles were white from her tight grasp. Her hands were in fists as her nails dug deeper into her palms, her fingers tightening further.

Ben used the Force to silence his weighted steps. His heavy breathing, on the other hand, was far too loud for anyone’s comfort.

The darkness surrounded them as Ben carried them through the palace halls. It blanketed them in fear, anxiety, loneliness. Despite them being together, the potential for their plan to fail was great as was the potential for at least one of them to end up alone in a universe of variability.

Around every turn, every column, the constant fear of running into the Kelpie was present.

PAD and R2 were making their way after Ben and Rey, but their robotic joints made them slow. Luckily, they knew the way to the ship on their own. One less thing for Ben and Rey to worry about.

Ben busted through the main archway of the palace and began sprinting down the wide staircase that had lead them towards the queen previously.

The moon guided them as Ben’s eyes scanned the streets looking for anything that resembled the Kelpie.

He had seen _it_ wading through a side street not far from where was currently was when they were on the rood. Ben started to wonder how good the Kelpie’s hunting skills were without its eyes. He realized there was so much he didn’t know about the creature yet; did it have good hearing? How good can it smell? Does it use echolocation? If it does, does it work on land?

Ben ran past where the market had been set up only hours ago, flower petals and crumbs still lingered on the ground. Remnants of the once lively and bustling market now looked lost and shuffled as they lay isolated in the street.

It was when Ben saw the Kelpie emerge from around the corner of a building when he realized he didn’t have any sort of a plan. Sure, he knew the general idea of what they had decided to do but he didn’t know how he was going to actually execute said ‘idea’.

Ben’s feet immediately halted in the street, he almost dropped Rey at his sudden decrease of speed. His hair fell into his eyes as he indulged the beast’s presence for the first time.

Cold beads of sweat slowly made their way down his back, sending shivers up his spine. Ben held Rey close to his chest as he took a solid look at the monster before him. Rey could hear Ben’s heart pounding in his chest, she feared it would break through his ribcage at the rate it was beating. Her own heart thumped wildly under her skin, she could feel the pulse of it in her ears as her hot, shaky breath exited her mouth in an uncontrolled manner.

 _It_ was ugly. The shapeshifting beast’s womanly form looked strange, it was smooth…everywhere like a doll. Its hair was tangled and in long black knots. Its eyes looked unbelievably disturbing without a pair of eyes to fill them. Empty, black sockets pierced Ben’s mind.

Ben projected the image of the Kelpie to Rey, she shivered at the hideous creature.

The Kelpie tiled its nose to the air and sniffed. Its pinched nose looked gray, as did the rest of its body, in the cool light. The darkness aided in deepening its cheekbones and contouring its nose to the point where the Kelpie looked more like a malnourished skeleton than a shapeshifting woman.

Ben observed the Kelpie’s mannerisms, stealthily studying it trying to discover a natural weakness.

The Kelpie took a step towards them in the darkness, still audibly sniffing the air. It took another unsteady step as Ben took a step back.

The Kelpie took another step towards them, Ben took yet another step back.

Step, step, step, step.

 _Think Solo,_ Ben thought to himself. _Dammit, a plan. Get a better plan, we can’t deal with this thing so far from the ship!_

Step, step, step, step.

Ben looked over his shoulder and caught sight of the two droids finally catching up to them. He motioned his hand, ordering them to move towards the Falcon.

Step, step, step, step.

As the droids drew nearer, Ben used his hand to zip his mouth and throw away the key. The droids didn’t understand.

Step, step, step, step.

R2 whirred as he passed the Kelpie, spatting an insult at the ugly beast while rooting Ben and Rey on in its robotic beeps and purrs.

 _Fuck._ Ben thought. His mind felt frozen, unable to come up with a plan that would ensure the Japor wood’s success in killing the creature.

The Kelpie paid the silver droid no attention, knowing it wasn’t a life form nor could it be a side dish to its long-awaited meal.

Step, step, step, step.

The distance between Ben and the Kelpie grew smaller, Ben’s steps backwards weren’t as long as the beast’s strides forwards.

The Kelpie increased its speed, feeling its eyes and meal grow nearer.

The uneasy silence of the moment broke when Ben heard the last voice he wanted to hear in this situation.

“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” PAD waddled past the Kelpie, glowing green in the dark of night.

Ben paid the callous droid no attention, the Kelpie was no more than three steps away from accomplishing its goal and that was his main concern.

Ben Force leaped to the left and started sprinting towards the Falcon once again. He wanted to get himself and Rey as close to the ship before he let the monster have a taste.

The Kelpie abruptly turned and sprinted after its’ prey.

Ben was fast, but the Kelpie was faster.

Even with Force, his legs couldn’t outrun the starved beast.

“Rey?!” Ben yelled. “I’m going to need to put you down! There’s no point in having your eyes closed if the Kelpie is on to our scent. You just have to make sure you run as fast as you can!”

“Ben put me down!” Rey seemed to have dismissed Ben’s previous comment and came to the conclusion on her own. 

Ben tossed Rey from his arms like a child would toss water in the air to make it rain on them. Rey did a flip before landing solidly on the ground. Ben continued running with his Force speed towards the parked ship, feeling Rey trail closely behind as the Kelpie continued its own pursuit.

The ship was in view when Rey shot ben a thought. _I love you and I’m sorry._

Terror reached Ben’s eyes as he turned to look at Rey, she was no longer running with him.

Rey stood strongly in the middle of the street, facing the Kelpie on her own.

The necklace shone brighter than Rey’s spirit in the light of night.

Their only hope hung proudly around Rey’s neck while Rey stood uncertain about her fate.  

“No!” But before Ben could choke out his words, the Kelpie was on Rey. She was refrozen and in an unbreakable trance once again.

Ben stumbled towards where Rey was frozen when the Kelpie looked towards Ben with its empty eye sockets and let out a deafening scream. The scream echoed off the surrounding buildings sending ripples across the waterways that flowed through the city.

Ben’s unconscious body fell to the street with an empty thud. A growing pool of blood collected in the gaps between the stone of the street as his head bled freely.

\---

Rey stood frozen, her mind was once again no longer hers. Fear raced through her as the corruption of her soul resumed.

The world had gone silent, once again she heard the Kelpie’s hypnotic song ringing through her ears.

The Kelpie stood before Rey, looking deeply into her red eyes.

The music in her ears intensified as Rey’s vision went dark. Rey tried to move but all attempts failed before they even had a chance to begin.

Rey’s senses dimmed, all she could think about was the song and the _eyes._ Those eyes, they haunted her mind. She couldn’t escape them.

Rey felt herself falling into darkness, the light within her dimmed more and more with every passing second. Her mind was no longer her own, her spirit was no longer the same, her insides felt empty. She felt as though she’d lost her heart. With one tap to her chest, the hollow insides would ring as loudly as a church bell calling people to mass.

Rey felt release as she too, fell into unconsciousness beside Ben. Everything that had seemed black before, was now an endless sea of darkness and Rey was drowning in it.

 

***

 

Ben woke in a cool pool of red.

His head was pounding and his skin was pale in the moonlight.

Ben’s eyelashes lightly fluttered as he opened his eyes for the first time since hearing the deafening scream envelop him in a brief moment of pain that led to darkness.

He looked towards the sky, trying to remember what had happened. The twinkle of the millions of stars brought Ben back to reality.

Ben grunted as he pushed himself to his hands. He sat up uncomfortably, beginning looking for Rey. Belligerent fear rushed off Ben in waves when he recognized Rey wasn’t where he’d last seen her.

The world was blurry but that didn’t make Ben feel lost. No, it the blurriness was only a motivator to push forward.

His feet carried him in a squiggly line towards a piece of string that lay on the ground.

Ben picked up the brown chord, immediately recognizing it was from the Japor necklace.

“Rey!” Ben called, his voice shook through the still air as he felt loneliness creep back into his heart for the first time since before he reconnected with Rey.

“Rey!” Ben choked as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

Ben walked to the rail that looked over the waterway, he searched for any sign of his beam of light.

The water was dark and empty. Not a single life Force was residing in the canal on the cursed night.

Ben, still unable to walk in a straight line, heard the faintest sound of a struggle in the distance. It came from the direction of the Falcon.

“Mr. Solo!” Ben heard someone call, whoever it was their voice was imperceptible and distant.

Ben turned and looked blurry-eyed at the sight of a figure near the _Falcon_.

“Mr. Solo!” Ben’s hearing was beginning to return as he made out the voice.

Ben ran towards where he heard the voice emanate from, his steps were shaky and he stumbled a few times on the way.

“Mr. Solo!”

“May!” Ben made out the blurry shape of the _Falcon_ in the distance, on it he could see his two droids standing at the top of the ship’s ramp.

Ben grew nearer to May, he could see she was dragging something…someone!

“Rey! Rey! Rey!” Ben repeated, every unsteady step he took brought him closer to his other half. Ben couldn’t control his emotions, he was crying a flood of tears as he approached her unconscious body.

May had dragged Rey nearly all the way to the _Falcon_ on her own. Needless to say, Ben was impressed.

Ben kneeled beside his life’s unconscious body. She looked like Padme had. Trapped in a calm and undisturbed slumber.

“No, no, no, no, no. It didn’t work, it didn’t work!”

Ben held Rey to his chest, combing her hair with shaky, bloodstained fingers.

“Rey, come back to me!”

“Mr. Solo, she isn’t dead,” May whispered as she placed a weary hand on Ben’s shoulder.

“What?!” Ben looked at May through his tears.

 _The Force!_ He remembered, whenever he let his emotions get the best of him he always forgot to use it. Ben reached out to Rey with his heart, the Force flowed around them as it always did when they were together.

May was right, she wasn’t dead. Her life Force was still with her, her heart still beating. Faintly, but it was beating.

Ben let out more uncontrolled sobs as he rocked with Rey in his arms.

“Mr. Solo, we need to get her to the _Falcon._ ”

Ben nodded as he picked Rey up in his shaky arms. Ben walked towards the ramp of the _Falcon_ on unsteady feet. May suggested they carry her together but he denied. Ben wouldn’t let Rey slip from his grasp again.

Ben walked up the ship’s ramp, turning right towards the main hold of the ship. He laid Rey carefully in the medical bed, draping a rough blanket over her soft shoulders.

Her limp hand still held the carved Japor wood, Ben breathed a sigh of relief when he finally noticed it. It had worked…somehow.

May stood at the entrance of the ship, unsure as to whether or not she should enter. Ben felt her presence lingering and he walked towards the ship’s door, using the wall for balance.

“Your Majesty, thank you for your help.”

“Mr. Solo, I saw what happened, the Kelpie is gone.”

“What?”

“I watched from the roof, the Kelpie is gone, the wood worked.” May smiled, knowing that the ancient monster’s threat to Rey was no more.

Ben nodded as he leaned more of his weight on the wall of the ship.

“I know you have a lot of things to get to but I wanted to let you know that as a wedding gift…”

“Wedding gift?” Ben interrupted.

“You heard me correctly, as a wedding gift I’m giving you and Miss Rey all of Padme and Anakin’s personal assets.”

“Assets?”

“All of Padme and Anakin’s clothes, jewels, robes, and shoes. We have no use for them here. We’ve attached a storage box to the front of your freighter full of their things. The jewels are tucked away in what I assume was your old room, opposite the Captain’s quarters. I also wanted to give you this.” May pulled a flower and a ring from her pant pocket.

Ben took the flower and ring from her. Holding the sunset in his hand, he examined the ring carefully. It was the same one he had picked for Rey earlier, a simple white band held with a black stone, on the sides of the small black diamond were two clear diamonds. The light, and the dark.  

“Thank you, May.” Ben was flabbergasted at the queen’s generosity and kindness, even more surprised that he was holding Rey’s ring in his hand.

The young monarch smiled at the sound of her birth name on Mr. Solo’s lips. Her smile only grew when she saw Ben’s own smile reach his eyes as he mulled the ring over in his hand.

May nodded as she ducked out of the ship.

“I left another surprise for you guys as well, on the Dejarik table.” The queen winked as she ran back towards the palace. Her bare feet carrying her all the way home.

Ben raised the rust bucket’s ramp and walked groggily towards the cockpit, checking in on Rey on the way.

He sat in the pilot’s seat as he took off, leaving Naboo behind. He jumped to lightspeed and entered the coordinated of Yavin IV. It would take them three days to get there. They were forced to take another, longer route to avoid possible First Order encounters.

Ben walked back to the main hold of the ship, still ignoring his wound. His only focus was Rey and the weight of the ring in his pocket.

Ben kneeled beside her unconscious form and rested his hand on her forehead. He centered himself, calling on the Force to assist him in healing her.

Rey was still Rey, her soul no longer tainted by the Kelpie’s darkness.

Ben ignored his increasing feeling of lightheadedness and focused solely on Rey, on bringing her back to him.

He felt Rey coming back as dark spots began to appear, obstructing his vision.

Rey opened her eyes slowly, she stretched as she sat up and looked at Ben with a wide smile. Her beaming dimples quickly faded as she saw Ben’s condition.

“Ben…”

“Rey!” Ben exclaimed, he had never been more thrilled to see her hazel eyes in his life.

“Did it work?”

“Yes.” Ben slumped to the floor, leaning lazily against his hands.

“Ben, your head.” Rey sat up on her knees, her only focus was on the blood that continued to ooze from above Ben’s brow.

“It’s fine.” Ben waved a drowsy hand at Rey, trying to dismiss her concern.

“Ben, it’s not. You’ve lost a lot of blood!” Rey climbed down from the old MED bed and cradled Ben’s head in her lap.

Ben blinked slowly, only focusing on Rey’s concerned face.

“Rey, don’t worry about me.”

“No Ben, how do I heal you?”

“What?”

“How do I heal you? With the Force! I know that’s something Jedi can do.”

“I don’t know how.” Ben slurred his words.

“You don’t know how?”

“No, the only times I’ve done it, I’ve just done it. I don’t think about it.”

 _Shit._ Rey thought.

Ben laughed at Rey’s concern for him, obviously still not recognize how the blood loss was affecting him.

“Don’t worry about it Rey, I’ve been hurt way worse than this before and it’s always been okay.”

Rey pressed her hand to Ben’s wound, trying to apply as much pressure as possible to slow the bleeding.

“I’m going to try to heal you, Ben,” Rey said, ignoring Ben’s previous comment.

She called on the Force, trying to focus her energy into his wound.

It wasn’t working, Rey’s attention was all over the place. She couldn’t focus.

Rey took a deep breath, centering herself. _Focus._ She tried to put all of her energy into healing Ben’s wound. Her repeated attempts still all ended in failure leaving Rey frustrated and Ben on the edge of unconsciousness.

 _Rey, if you really insist on doing this, try healing with your heart._ Ben projected.

_What?_

_Your heart, let it guide you._

Rey listened to Ben’s advice, allowing her heart to lead the way. She called on the Force, once again. In her mind, she imagined seeing Ben’s forehead knit itself back together. The skin pulled together like a thread sewing two pieces of fabric.

After a minute, Rey removed her hand from Ben’s forehead. His blood-stained skin was smooth once again. She was also surprised that Force healing such a wound left no sign of scarring behind. She wondered if the Force could also be used to heal scars.

Ben reached up and touched his healed skin, “You did it! Wow Rey, you really are amazing.” Ben spoke as though he was surprised.

Rey smiled as she watched Ben sit up from her lap.

“All in a day’s work I guess.” Rey shrugged.

“You know, your eyes are back.”

Rey let out a squeal of excitement as she ran to the bathroom.

“Ahh!!! Thank the Force, it worked!”

Rey joined Rey in the bathroom, they both looked in the mirror taking in their bloodied and changed appearances.

“Alright Mr. Solo,” Rey winked, referencing the queen. “You look like you could use a shower.”

“I think that’s a good idea.” Ben agreed.

He turned on the fresher as he removed his shirt.

Rey turned to leave Ben to shower in peace, “What, you’re not going to shower with me?” Ben asked.

“Hmm, not today. I was thinking we could do that _later.”_   Rey left a shocked Ben standing in the bathroom alone.

_Did she just?_

“Yes,” Rey called from the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it took me a week to update which has been out of the ordinary for a while but I'm going through a really busy time right now with school and life and work. Finals were last week so I didn't really get a chance to take a breather let alone write. Luckily, I'm no longer winging every chapter (yes, I basically got 10 chapters in before I realized the plan or direction I was taking this and how I was going to get there.) Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and are excited for what is to come. I think I'm finally going to attempt smut in the next chapter...you have been warned. (I've never really written smut before so this will be quite a journey, hang with me guys lol.)


	22. Heat of the Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben feels an unimaginable amount of anxiousness while a long awaited question for Rey looms in the back of his mind...will she say yes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Warning!: Smut is in this chapter! This is my first time writing smut so I hope it's okay!   
> Enjoy! :)

Ben stared at the fresher floor as he watched the blood wash off him. Pools of red collected at his feet before flowing down the drain. His forehead still felt the presence of the healed wound. It was a ghost he hoped would stop haunting him soon.

Ben washed off the long day as he daydreamed about how he’d ask Rey the question that had been on his mind since the moment he met her in the forest.

Ben tried his best to keep his thoughts to himself as he stood in the shower, he didn’t want to spoil the surprise or scare Rey off, which was a thing he was legitimately afraid would happen despite the fact that they could currently traveling through hyperspace and nowhere near a civilized system.

Ben had an ongoing dialogue running through his mind. He was daydreaming about the moment, daydreaming about all the possible ways it could go.

_What if she says no? She won’t say no, but what if she does? Maybe you should wait to do this for once you’re off a ship traveling through hyperspace. If she says no then that’ll be the most awkward flight of your life. But then again, if she says yes it could be the best flight of your life. Ugh, kriff._

Ben’s shoulders hunched in defeat as he turned off the water and stepped out of the fresher.

He grabbed the towel Rey had left him and dried himself off mindlessly.

Ben stood exposed in the bathroom as he wiped the fogged mirror so he could see his reflection.

Ben tried smoothing his scruffy hair but it was no use. Pieces of his damp hair stood in all directions, one particular piece of hair stood straight up making him look as though he had just woken up.

On the bright side, he wasn’t covered in blood.

Ben leaned in close to the mirror. He ran his fingertips over his scar remembering Rey’s touch from the nights prior. He remembered the feeling of the trace of her lips, the warmth of her hands in his hair.

Ben looked at the rest of his face critically.

For the first time in years, he looked somewhat well rested despite all that had been going on.

His chin was covered in stubble from the obvious neglect of boring hygiene.

Ben felt weird not shaving. Shaving had become part of his routine as Kylo Ren. Ben was reminded that Kylo Ren was a name of his past, a _person_ of his past. He no longer felt the hate or loneliness that he had affiliated with Kylo Ren for so many years. The anger that constantly itched his neck was no longer intolerable. For the first time in years, Ben felt like Ben again.

Ben was never a perfect specimen. Despite training to be a Jedi, he had still been wrought with conflict. Ben was always surrounded by darkness even in its’ simplest form, but he also blanketed himself in the light. Ben was far more balanced than Kylo ever could have been.

Since having Rey in his life, the light that had remained dormant for so many years was erupting around him….and he wasn’t mad about it.

 Ben decided once again, not to shave. He liked the stubble, he liked feeling like Ben was back in his life.

Ben turned his attention to the pile of black clothes he had folded on the counter. His Kylo Ren grabs were formal and nice, the perfect outfit to propose in when he didn’t have easily accessible royal robes.

Ben dressed surrounded by silence. His only thoughts surrounded him keeping his balance as he pulled on his heavy cowl and boots.

Ben picked up the ring he had chosen for Rey. He held it in his large hands while his mind whispered, _please say yes._

 

***

 

Rey saw Ben emerge from the bathroom looking scruffier than normal. More nervous than normal too.

His hair was in disarray, parts of it defied gravity as his ears were exposed for her to see. She was glad to see that he hadn’t shaved in the time that amount he spent in the bathroom that had felt like an eternity to Rey.

She noticed Ben was wearing his Kylo Ren outfit once again, black cape included. Despite who the outfit used to belong to, Rey was reminded of the first time she saw _him_. Her mind drifted from the creature in the forest to the aching prince who had kneeled before her.

Rey sat beside the Dejarik table, leaning on her elbows as she held the sunset in the hands.

The petals of her flower were just as vibrant as they had been earlier, Rey wondered if it would look like that forever.

“Why so nervous Ben?”

Rey could feel Ben’s anxiety from the shower, she wondered what was concerning him so much now that the Kelpie scenario was over and done with.

Rey was still looking at her flower when from the corner of her eye, she saw Ben swallow. What was he hiding?

Ben sat beside Rey in the booth. Rey turned to look at him and noticed he looked paler than normal.

“Ben, what the fuck is wrong with you?” Rey felt the energy Ben’s heart was emanating. Unfathomable amounts of anxiety, fear, love, loyalty, and uncertainty were shedding away from him concerning Rey to her very core.

Rey felt Ben’s eyes stare deep into Rey’s, as though he was searching for the right words to explain himself.

Rey playfully nudged against Ben’s shoulder. “You can tell me, whatever it is.”

“I’m not nervous.” Ben tried to dismiss Rey’s unspoken accusation, he failed miserably at his attempt which led to him feeling even more nervous.

“Are you worried about what you’ll say to your mom when you see her again?”

“What? Oh, no. I’m not nervous about that. I guess I’m a little nervous about how the rest of the rebel base will react to my presence.” Ben once again made attempts to divert Rey’s attention to something that was more easily explained.

“Well don’t be nervous about that, they have no right to have an opinion about you until they get to meet you themselves.” Rey placed a comforting hand on Ben’s knee, loosening his stiff frame a little. She could still feel him hiding something from her but she wasn’t going to press him until he was ready to open up to her about whatever it was he was being so secretive about.

“Rey, when we get to Yavin I need to check in on my knights.” Ben tried to act calm, despite his nerves being on edge.

“Okay. We can stop by their location before we go to the base.”

“They uh, how do I say this?” Ben rubbed his forehead with a shaky hand before running it through his hair as he once again searched for the right words. “Last they knew of you, I was looking for you because you killed the Supreme Leader.”

“Huh, so they don’t know about…”

“No.” Ben cut Rey off. “They don’t know anything.”

“Hmph. Okay, well I guess we’ll just have to tell them about our bond. I’m sure they’ll be fascinated to learn how it works.”

“Rey,” Ben choked out. Rey observed Ben’s dark eyes. They danced around her face frantically, glancing from her eyes to her lips to her hair to her neck. Fiery with lust, Rey wondered what Ben was up to.

“I want to introduce you to them as something other than just Kira Rey, ‘the last Jedi’.”

“Well, that’ll be easy considering I’m not a Jedi.” Rey poked, reminding Ben of the path they had decided to walk together.

“Heh, right.” Ben swallowed as he tried to relieve the feeling of the lump in his throat. “Rey, I want them to know that we’re together.”

“You mean together, together?”

Ben gave Rey a nervous nod as he rubbed his clammy palms together under the table. A sneaky blush crept its way up his neck to finally settle on his cheeks and the tip of his ears. He suddenly felt very warm as he felt his heartbeat began to quicken. Having Rey so close to him didn’t help the matter.

Rey realized for the first time that she and Ben had never officially discussed what _they_ were, in the technical sense. They would kiss and be bonded, she felt in her heart that they were meant to be together but they had never had the discussion about where their relationship was going. She knew in her heart it was only a matter of time.

“Rey, I uh.”

“Spit it out Ben,” Rey suddenly felt nervous herself, if Ben was getting at what she thought he was getting at. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the side of the booth tighter than she thought was possible, her knee bounced in beat with her heart.

“I love you and I never want to live a day knowing you aren’t mine. That I’m not yours.” Ben talked quickly and with purpose, his voice quivering and catching on some of his words.

Rey sat frozen, it was finally happening. She couldn’t refrain a smile any longer, she had dreamt of this moment since she was a little girl watching the sunsets on Jakku.

Rey’s smile instantly calmed Ben. She gave him the strength to continue.

“Rey, you bring out the best in me. You balance me, you are my other. We are connected and bonded through the Force. I was wondering…if you’d like… if I could take your hand in marriage so that we can be bound together in every way possible.”

Ben stood from the booth and pulled Rey’s ring from his pocket with quivering hands.

He knelt down on one knee as the first tear slipped from Rey’s eyes.

 _Force, I hope those are tears of joy._ Ben thought.

 _They are._ Rey assured.

“Rey, will you marry me.” Ben held out the ring for Rey to accept, if she so chose to do.

Rey sat still as a statue, all she could do was nod her head and wipe tears away from her happy eyes.

“Is that a yes?”

“Of course, you idiot!” Rey exclaimed, leaping from the booth. She tackled Ben to the ground as she refused to stop planting excited kisses on him.

Ben couldn’t stop smiling and laughing at Rey’s response.

_She said yes._

He breathed a sigh of relief as he kissed Rey back.

Ben and Rey sat up. Rey still straddled her fiancé as Ben slipped her forever ring on her left finger.

“Wow, Ben it’s gorgeous.” Rey stared in awe at the beautiful band.

“I thought it would suit you the minute I saw it. It’s like the light and the dark are coming together to find-”

“Balance.” Rey finished.

Ben couldn’t hold back his excitement, he aggressively kissed Rey. She retaliated by running her hands through his messy locks in the way that could make him crumple.

Ben and Rey were in synch, their kisses were familiar and comfortable. Both of them knew their place and everything felt _right_.

Rey raked her hands through Ben’s hair in the way that made him fall apart. Ben melted into Rey’s shoulder melting further from the buzzing he felt on contact with Rey. The couple’s bond only flourished and grew with their senses.  

Ben’s soft lips swept themselves across Rey’s neck, stopping occasionally to suckle her skin lightly. Ben traced his lips across Rey’s clavicle, she tilted her head back as she stifled a moan.

Rey’s response to Ben’s moves only made the lust in his eyes grow as he gently bit down on her shoulder leaving teeth marks behind as a symbol of his passion.

Rey hissed at the slight pain and pleasure the nibble elicited. She felt increasing warmth flood over her and center itself at the base of her abdomen.

Rey’s intensified breathing tickled Ben’s ear as her nails traced themselves down Ben’s back, around his waist, and up his chest.

Ben found Rey’s mouth once again as her fingers freed Ben from his cape. Rey gently ran her strong hands back down Ben’s chest to the hem of his shirt. She pulled away from the hungry embrace in an effort to free Ben from his black, restrictive shirt.

In a huff, Ben helped Rey with the removal of his shirt and resumed planting kisses on Rey’s neck.

Ben’s large hands traveled down Rey’s back to the hem of Rey’s own tunic. Ben looked Rey in the eyes in an attempt to ask permission to remove her shirt without slowing his actions to ask with his words.

Rey nodded in response to Ben’s unspoken question. She acted quickly, helping Ben pull the all too conservative shirt from her humming body. Rey got to work unwrapping her arms as Ben stared in awe at Rey’s perfect form.

His eyes slipped from her jaw to her toned stomach, to where her hard nipples peaked through her breast band. His eyes finally rested on the scar on her upper arm. His thoughts briefly drifted back to the throne room, he recalled how hot she had looked as she viciously fought to slay the guards. Ben rolled his thumb over the raised ridge before he placed a single kiss on the mark, claiming it as his own.

His hard length strained against his restrictive pants as he noticed the bruises that peppered Rey’s slim neck.

Rey’s arms were bare, had it been anyone else she was with she would’ve been embarrassed. With Ben, she felt empowered.

Rey untied her breast band fully exposing herself to Ben. Her nipples hardened further in the cold air of the _Falcon,_ only solidifying her confidence even more.

Ben licked his swollen, red lips as he took in Rey’s topless form for the first time. He had seen her In the nude previously, albeit by accident, as well as helped her into the bath but this time was different.

Rey still sat straddling Ben, her dainty hands resting on his bare chest. She wanted to get to know _all_ of him.

Rey took Ben’s hand and raised it to cup her right breast. She could tell he was still slightly nervous and just as inexperienced as her which calmed her nerves.

“It’s okay Ben. I want you to touch all of me.” Rey breathed as she started swirling her hips in a slow circle. Rey searched for any sort of friction that would help her feel _anything_ in an effort to gently satisfy her aching sex.

Ben’s thumb traced over Rey’s pert nipple softly. He was immediately confronted with an escaped moan from Rey’s swollen lips.

Rey scooted forward onto the bulge of Ben’s pants. She began grinding slowly on him making both of their breath’s hitch.

Rey bit her lower lip as her body begged her for _more_.

Ben lost control as he began devouring Rey. His hands positioned themselves under Rey’s armpits as his thumbs gently stroked her nipples. Suddenly, Ben lifted Rey and gently flipped her onto her back. He hovered over her as he caught her mouth with his own.

She allowed his tongue entry as her legs hooked around his waist.

Rey reached down to the waistband of Ben’s pants as she tried pulling them off.

The feeling of Rey’s hands so close to his bulge made Ben’s hips jerk forward uncontrollably, startling Rey.

“Sorry,” Ben husked.

“It’s okay,” Rey’s hands continued to fumble as she tried to remove Ben’s pants. “Can you give me a hand?”

Rey’s body was frustrated at the lack of sensation, if she didn’t get something more soon she thought she’d break.

Ben unfastened his pants and slipped them off along with his heavy boots. His hard length ached as it begged him for sensation.

Ben ignored his body’s yearning as he untied Rey’s boots, slipping them off her feet impatiently.

Rey rubbed her legs together as she felt herself grow even wetter.

Ben pulled Rey’s foot, pulling Rey closer to him.

He reached his large hands up to Rey’s waistband, _May I?_ Ben asked through their bond.

Rey nodded her head shyly.

Ben pulled Rey’s pants from her waist, she helped him with the process with slight wiggles here or there.

The couple sat there for a moment, fully soaking each other’s natural, barest forms in as though they were starved creatures.

The moment was short lived as the couple once again found each other’s lips. Rey reached her hand between her legs in an effort to satisfy her throbbing sex.

Ben noticed Rey’s efforts and replaced her hand with his own. He leaned on one elbow over Rey as his thumb circled its way around her nub. Ben had never done this before but he knew the basic science of it and given Rey’s stuttering breath, Ben hoped he was doing okay.

“Oh, Ben!” Rey purred.

“Is this okay, Rey?” Ben continued his movements.

Rey closed her eyes as she focused on breathing, the unimaginable sensations and overwhelming pleasure was almost too much.

“Kiss me, Ben!”

Ben found Rey’s mouth as he embraced her in a passionate, albeit slightly aggressive, kiss.

Rey’s moans only grew as her hips began jolting forward. She knew she was close.

“Ben, I want you. I want to feel you.”

“Are you sure Rey?” Ben wanted to make sure Rey felt as comfortable as possible.

“Mmhmm.” Rey hummed through whimpers.

Ben pulled his hand from where it had been working and found his hard length. He was already dripping precum from the unimaginable experience.

Ben ran his length up and down Rey’s slit. He rubbed some of her wetness over himself in order to be properly lubricated in preparation for entry.

Ben positioned himself at Rey’s entrance, “Are you ready?”

“Yes.” Rey huffed. She leaned up on her elbows as her curiosity got the best of her. She wanted to see it happen. Ben was a little larger than she’d expected and she wasn’t sure how it would be possible for him to fit in her. Rey watched as Ben slowly pushed inside of her, it was the most erotic thing she’d ever seen. At first, she didn’t feel anything but nothing quickly evolved into an intense pressure and fullness.

Ben stilled half-way inside of Rey. He wanted to make sure she was okay and give her a moment to adjust to him. Rey’s nails dug into Ben’s back as she held her breath.

“Rey, breath.”

Rey let out a shaky breath as her legs wrapped tighter around Ben’s waist.

Ben felt Rey loosen around him as he pushed father inside. Ben pulled almost all the way out before pushing in once again.

Rey felt an array of emotion, of pleasure. Ben felt right inside of her, everything about the moment felt perfect.

“Do you want me to stop?” Ben asked, still concerned for Rey.

“No, you’re amazing Ben,” Rey reassured.

Rey moved her hips in sync with Ben’s as they found a rhythm.

The couple both smiled at the _interesting_ noises elicited during sex. Rey could no longer stifle her moans. Her breathing intensified once again as she held Ben close.

“Oh, Ben! Ben, you’re so good!” Rey couldn’t hold back her approval.

 Ben laughed at Rey’s words, “Thanks, Rey.”

The pressure that had settled at the base of Rey’s navel spread itself all the way to her pulsing clit.

Ben moved in a frenzy as he continued suckling his favorite place on Rey, her neck.

Ben felt Rey’s arousal grow further with every snap of his hips.

Ben let out a moan as he felt himself growing increasingly close, his hips snapped against Rey’s as he continued to let his instincts take over.

Rey released animalistic moans as she called out Ben’s name.

The _Falcon_ gently rattled as the Force surged around the heated couple.  

Rey let herself melt into the floor as the fire pooling in her lower abdomen suddenly became too much. Everything moved slowly and then sped up until all at once, everything stopped. Rey let herself fall into her orgasm as her mind went blank. Her brain swirled with colors as her body relaxed. The slight hums of the _Falcon_ grew distant until all Rey could hear was her breathing and Ben’s grunts.

Ben’s heart skipped multiple beats as he inched himself nearer and nearer completion.

“Rey, I’m so close,” Ben choked through inconsistent breaths.

“It’s okay Ben, let yourself go.”

Once he had Rey’s approval, Ben let himself fall quickly into his orgasm. He unraveled around Rey until all they were was a sweaty, panting mess on the cool floor of the _Falcon_.

Ben laid where he had collapsed on his back panting like an animal. Rey rolled onto his chest, resting her chin on her hands. They stared into each other’s eyes as all they would think about was the pure bliss they were experiencing.

They laid like that for a while, appreciating each other’s eyes and breaths as though they were priceless.  

 

***

 

Later, Ben joined Rey in the shower she’d promised him earlier. Never in his life, had he willingly taken two showers in one day, but standing under warm water beside the woman he loved was worth it.

Ben washed his spend from between Rey’s legs before practicing kissing a foreign part of her. Rey felt yet another release as she let herself collapse around Ben’s tongue.

Over the next few days, Ben and Rey fell into a routine. Sleep, fuck, eat, repeat.

The _Falcon_ reeked of them but they didn’t care.

 

***

 

On the third day of their flight, Ben and Rey got the notification that they were almost to Yavin.

“Are you ready?” Rey asked Ben as they sat in the cockpit for the first time in days.

“No,” Ben admitted, he didn’t want to return to real life. He wanted to forever live in this euphoric state where everything was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oookaaaayyyy, I hope you guys liked that! Please give me feedback, constructive criticism is also always appreciated! 
> 
> Our lovely couple is back to Yavin IV! So much awaits them, what will the knights think of Rey? What will PAD think of how Ben and Rey occupied themselves on the journey? Find out in the next chapter! ;) (I feel like a sales person typing that lol) Also, the big question is what Hux has realllyyy been up to. I hope you guys are excited with where this is all going! 
> 
> As always I would like to thank you all so much for reading and sticking with me through some of the more boring or difficult to read parts of my story. This has been my first fic project so I've been working through the kinks and everything but everyone has been so unbelievably supportive that it's just been so amazing and inspiring! Thank you again! 
> 
> check me out on Tumblr @walkingwookie if you'd like. :)


	23. Unfriendly Introductions, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben ventures out into the forest of Yavin IV in search of his knights. Meanwhile, Rey waits on the Falcon. At times she lets her feelings get the best of her, forcing her to go after Ben.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part One of Two! 
> 
> Sorry the update took so long, enjoy. :)

Ben and Rey landed the _Falcon_ with precision and ease, despite the lush forest and high winds that hindered them.

It was the middle of the night on Yavin and, despite having been away for what felt like a millennium, the storm that Rey had seen developing around the planet when she left had only intensified in her absence.

The entire planet was surrounded by a large cloud. From space, it could’ve easily been confused as a gas planet instead of a jungle one by the untrained pilot.

Rey and Ben packed lightly to meet the knights. Rey slung her saber staff over her shoulder and pulled on her boots for the first time since leaving Naboo.

She blushed once again as she remembered the many breathless moments she’d spent with Ben over the last few days. There were more than she could count which Rey thought could only be a good thing.

Ben fully dressed himself as well, saber and black gloves included.

Rey frowned when she saw Ben in his full Kylo Ren get-up, she was confronted with the truth about who all of the galaxies still thought he was.

Ben held his helmet under his arm as he adjusted the placement of his saber on his belt.

“Ben, do you think they’re going to like me?” Rey asked with a shy voice, her insecurities shining brighter than her inner light.

“Why wouldn’t they? You’re perfect.” Ben reminded Rey, he was more concerned about how his knights would react to his abandonment of them.

Rey and Ben walked towards the _Falcon’s_ ramp. It lowered itself slowly as the uncertainty of night flooded the ship.

Rey watched Ben pull his helmet on with sad eyes. She hated that _thing_ and wished he would just destroy it for good.

Ben walked down the _Falcon_ into the darkness leaving Rey behind at the top of the ramp.

 _I’m just going to find my knights to give them a debrief. Don’t worry so much. I’ll come back for you sweetheart, I promise._ Ben spoke to Rey over their bond, he could feel her apprehension and wanted to help extinguish it little by little by debriefing his knights before they formally met Rey.

Rey heard Ben’s footsteps grow more distant as he walked father from the _Falcon_. Cool wind broke its way into the many halls of the large ship, carrying the couple’s lingering musk with it.

Rey breathed the fresh air deeply as she held her elbows close to herself, she reached out for Ben to make sure he was doing okay.

Rey felt no response, she figured Ben was just busy talking with his knights.

Rey sat at the top of the ship’s ramp. Goosebumps traveled across her skin as she pulled her knees closer and closer to her chest. Rey continued to sit, waiting in as condensed a ball as she could shrink into.

Rey’s messy hair swirled freely around her face as the breeze continued to dance around her. Rey enjoyed the ceremonious greeting as she indulged the cool element.

Rey’s senses were heightened; she listened for even the slightest movement from the forest. She surrounded herself with the Force in every and any way possible, feeling for any detectable life frequencies.

Rey’s focus was broken by the sound of an old door on the _Falcon_ scraping itself open.

“What the hell?” Rey muttered under her breath. “Who’s that?” Rey called through the ship.

She stood to her feet as she held her saber closer than ever. Rey used the Force to silence her steps as she walked through the ship looking for the origin of the sound.

Rey wondered how it would be possible for a door to open when no one else was on the ship besides her. _Unless it’s a distraction?_ Rey thought. _No, I doubt the knights would do something like that._

Rey heard metal on metal footsteps as she approached the main hold of the ship. _Of course, it’s only the droids._

Rey broke her defensive stance as PAD and R2 came into view. She’d almost forgotten they were on board. If she was being honest with herself, she had completely forgotten they were aboard.

“PAD, what are you doing?!” Rey asked the green droid who seemed semi-traumatized by the sight of Rey’s saber in her hand.

“Me? Oh, nothing.” PAD didn’t dare look Rey in the eyes, he started to emit a whistling sound as he glanced around the dirty room.

“PAD, where have you and R2 been this whole time and why are you sneaking around now?”

“Nowhere and we’re not sneaking around.” PAD lied through his teeth…and Rey noticed.

R2 beeped and whirred at Rey, contradicting PAD’s previous response. Rey blushed when she mentally translated the assorted beeps and whirs.

“Oh my Force! You were in the closet _the whole_ time?!”

“Yes, Miss Rey,” PAD responded without hesitation.

“Ahh, I’m so embarrassed,” Rey announced, collapsing into the booth with a hand raised to her forehead.

“No need to be embarrassed over mating with Mr. Ren. Reproduction is only natural, especially for two healthy young creatures such as yourselves.”

“But you heard us?” Rey asked.

“Of course, we did. All seventeen times.”

Rey screamed in a girlish way, “Seventeen times?! You counted?!”

“Well, there wasn’t exactly anything else to do.”

R2 whirred in agreeance.

Rey moved her hands to cover her blush that felt permanently focused on the balls of her cheeks.

“Miss Rey, I’m very happy to welcome you into the family as Kylo’s wife.”

“Thanks, PAD, though I don’t really need your approval.”

“No, but from what we heard, you and him are very happy and compatible with each other.”

Rey banged her forehead against the Dejarik table repeatedly, she had never been more embarrassed in her life.

“Miss Rey, I don’t understand the behavior you’re displaying,” PAD stated.

“I’m just so embarrassed, PAD,” Rey said plainly, avoiding eye contact with the droid.

“Miss Rey, I would like to remind you that I am a droid and am not capable of judging you. If I _were_ capable of such things, I wouldn’t be judging you. I would only be asking you if you plan on getting pregnant soon.”

“No, why?” Rey asked.

“Well, I’m asking because you _are_ fertile and probably-“

“Not on birth control. Yeah, I know. Ben knows too.” Rey interrupted. “PAD, thank you for your concern but at this point, everything is as the Force wills it. I’m getting the implant when I return to the base tomorrow so you have nothing to worry about.”

“Very well, Miss Rey.”

“PAD, I’m going to try and evict this wave of embarrassment that has permanently moved into my brain without my permission, so if you’ll excuse me.”

PAD stared at Rey with a blank expression as she stood from the booth and walked back towards the _Falcon’s_ ramp with an exhausted mind. Rey wasn’t sure if the exhaustion originated from herself or her bonded other.

Rey stood at the top of the ramp, once again expanding her awareness. Manually broadening her horizon to get a feel for everything around her.

In the distance, she could still hear PAD and R2 talking. “I know you think she’s going to get pregnant soon like Mrs. Solo did but I’m not so sure. She’s smart and her and Ben seem to know what they want.” R2 responded to PAD’s objection with a series of faint beeps.

Rey smiled at the sound of the bickering droids. She thought about how Ben programmed PAD’s understanding of his mother. The droid had never met Leia and yet he had an obvious, albeit basic understanding of her.  Ben had also ordered the droid to refer to her as “Mrs. Solo”. Not Leia or General Organa, but Mrs. Solo. The thought brought a smile to Rey’s face as a beam of lightning struck the ground near the ship.

The blinding beam illuminating the dark forest and its surrounding shrubs while temporarily eradicating the planet’s haunting shadows. Rey took the brief moment of light as an opportunity to scan the scene. _Nothing_. Darkness resurfaced quicker than Rey could register and she once again was faced with a blind reality. She couldn’t see a thing and as minutes passed she felt her grasp on Ben loosen more and more. With every breath she took, she felt him grow farther away.  

_Where is he?_

Rey decided she’d had enough waiting. She had waited her whole life for her parents to come back and they never did, she wasn’t going to let the same thing happen with Ben. What if he was in trouble?

Rey ignited her saber staff and headed out into the forest.

Rey felt Ben’s presence growing nearer with every strategically planned step. Rey felt her pulse quicken, but it wasn’t her pulse that was increasing…it was _his_. Ben wasn’t his calm normal self, he was panicked and acting impulsively. His heart rate was up and his adrenaline was pumping.

_Something’s definitely wrong._

Rey extinguished her saber and started sprinting through the dark forest. Trees blew past her as the Force assisted her in her sprint.

Rey’s felt the land beneath her change from dirt to rock. Fewer and fewer trees populated the area surrounding her as she surged forward with just as much gusto as a bronco.

Rey continued sprinting even when the rain began. At first, the sky released only small and light drips but within a matter of minutes, the drops evolved into heavy anomalies.

Rey saw a clearing up ahead. Beyond the approaching clarity, she saw the very thing she’d feared.

Blaster bolts traveled through the air, erupting from all directions. Rey saw the light of assorted Kyper weapons glowing in the night, she failed to distinguish Ben’s from the collection.

Rey drew closer still. She continued desperately scanning for the light of Ben’s saber, all of her attempts failed and she felt as though she’d lost hope. _If he had died wouldn’t she have felt it?_

Rey erupted from the clearing triumphantly as the activated her saber. She twirled it through two unexpecting troopers and started to run towards the heat of the battle.

An uncountable amount of bodies of troopers littered the ground.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but water, rock, blood, and armor.

Rey continued deflecting blaster bolts as she ran towards where she saw one of the last remaining troopers standing.

She sliced her golden saber through him and watched as his body tumbled to the ground. Rey swirled herself around, looking for any more trooper threats.

Every trooper was dead; Rey realized she had never been surrounded by so much death before. The massive loss hung heavily in the wet air and Rey almost felt the deceased’s pain ripping on her sleeves.

Rey breathed a sigh of relief for simply being alive, though it was released too soon.

Before Rey knew it, she was blocking an attack by a knight in armor.

The knight wore a billowing cape and a helmet that obstructed half his face. His weapon wasn’t made from a Kyber crystal but it was able to put up a fight against Rey’s saber.

Rey began to panic as a part of her felt like she recognized the knight and the attack.

Rey deflected the knight’s repeated attempts at attack and even made a few good strikes of her own. This knight was quick, but Rey was quicker.

Rey almost landed a near fatal blow on the knight but the knight was smart and read Rey’s body language with expertise. The knight Force jumped behind Rey and used the end of his weapon to land a blow on the back of her head, knocking Rey to the wet stone with an ungraceful splash.

Once Rey fell, everything began to move in slow motion. She choked on water as her hands gripped the rock, preparing for the final burst of pain before the arrival of peace and the inevitable… _nothing_. She turned her head as quick as she could manage to get a look at her attacker. His weapon was raised and Rey was ready for the deadly blow.

Suddenly, she heard the familiar sound that meant survival.

Ben’s saber ignited itself through the cocky knight’s back. The knight fell to the ground lifelessly in a heavy slump.

Rey stood quickly as she observed the scene. Her eyes drifted over the six knights that stood behind a masked Ben as she experienced a wave of deja-vu.

The rain continued to pound her as she realized her Force vision had come true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I hope you guys enjoyed that part! Click next chapter for part two! :)


	24. Unfriendly Introductions, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben ventures into the forest to find his knights. When he stumbles across them, they get a chance to catch up. Some of them are more excited to hear about Rey than others...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter we read what Ben experienced during the last one. Enjoy :)

_I’m just going to find my knights to give them a debrief. Don’t worry so much. I’ll come back for you sweetheart, I promise._

Ben thought to Rey as he ventured into the dark and uncertain forest.

Ben glanced behind himself back to the _Falcon_ as he fully disappeared into the lush trees. He saw Rey, sitting and shivering at the top of the _Falcon_.

He thought of his promise as he took unsteady steps through the shadowy and lush terrain. _I’ll come back for you. I bet the only other people who told her that lied._

Ben promised himself he wouldn’t disappoint Rey. Not this time, not ever.

Ben felt for the pull of his knight’s Force signatures. When he located them, he headed in their direction. Their signatures lead him like a compass towards his destination.

After running in the supposed direction of his knights for what must’ve been a half hour, Ben arrived at a rocky clearing in the trees. He felt his knights near, but, where were they?

Ben walked almost blindly over the rocky surface as he felt almost on top of his knights.

He continued feeling for his Knights when he saw Pandora emerge from a hole in the rock. _A cave, of course._ Ben rolled his eyes at his stupidity before smiling through his mask at his knight.

The young woman skipped towards Ben and kneeled before him with her masked head bowed.

“Master-Kylo, you returned!”

“Yes, where’s Azazel? I sensed he was injured. I felt you healing him through the Force.”

“He’s in the cave with everyone else. We’re so very pleased you’ve returned.”

“With everything that’s been going on, I had to make sure you were all okay and verify that you managed to make it off the _Finalizer_ with minimal losses. Please, lead the way.” Ben waved his glove towards the cave entrance Pandora had emerged from.

The female knight bowed her mask once again, as she stood and lead Ben into the cave.

Ben walked through a rocky corridor. The knights had lit the walk with small torches, strategically placing them equal distances apart. Ben felt nearly hypnotized as he walked past every torch, the gentle glow of light was soothing and Ben had never felt more relaxed.

The cave opened up into a larger cavern, lit dimly by the same lanterns.

The other knights visibly lit up when they saw their master return, quickly standing to greet him.

“Master Ren!”

“Please, I prefer Ben or, if you must, Kylo now.” Ben spoke to the knights with purpose, he was not going to let them forget that he was no longer ‘Master of the Knights of Ren’. That man was dead.

“Okay Kylo,” The knights said in unison.

Ben walked over to Azazel and crouched down beside where he was laying on the ground.

“How are you feeling?” Ben asked through his mask, trying his best to not sound intimidating. The voice modulator didn’t help.

Azazel was the only knight who wasn’t currently wearing their helmet, his brown hair fell unapologetically into his troubled eyes.

“Pretty good, my wound is all healed up. I was just taking a nap before you walked in.”

“How was the wound inflicted? Catch me up.” Ben spoke to Azazel as though he was a little a brother. At this point, Azazel practically _was_ a brother. Ben had taken him under his wing at Luke’s academy and both parties were eternally grateful the Ben had made the decision he had to protect Azazel at _all_ costs.

“Well, after you left, we fought through some of the guards. I sprinted after Hux and chased him to the hanger, destroying everything and everyone that got in the way. Colt warned me not to, but I chased that _monster_ anyways.”

“That was very brave of you, so I’m guessing you got blasted?”

“You guessed correctly. I got blasted twice actually. Once in the thigh, the other in the back.”

“Nice.” Ben joked. “Welcome to the multiple scars team.”

“Well, because everyone healed me, I don’t really have scars from the injuries.”

“Right. Well, I always kept my scars, no matter their location. They were a reminder. Some I wish I could erase more than others.”

“A reminder of what?” Azazel asked. All of the knights stood in silence around Ben and Azazel, they watched in astonishment at the natural and _friendly_ interaction.

 _Kylo really had changed_ , they thought.

Ben reached up hesitantly before removing his mask to expose his face to the group for the first time since before Rey had even come into his life. Even then, Ben couldn’t recall the last time his knights had probably seen his face. It must’ve been years since such an ordinary occasion of exposure had occurred.

The knights stared in silence, shocked at the long scar that stretched from above his right brow to below the bottom of his neck.

“What happened Ben?” Kearney asked, shocked that Ben’s face was marked. “Who did that to you?” Kearney always had a soft spot for Ben, even at Luke’s academy. She thought for a short time that Ben had liked her, despite her being a Twi’lek. However, his soft spot for her dissipated with Ben Solo and stayed at bay with Kylo Ren.

“Now that you’ve caught me up with you guys, there’s a lot I need to catch you up with.”

“Spit it out Kylo.” Trory joked, his red hair slipping from his man bun into his large brown eyes.

“Remember that scavenger girl, Rey?”

“Yes,” Dade moaned. The dim light in the cavern made his strong and disfigured features look even more grotesque. “She bested you? A girl who had never held a lightsaber?”

Ben cringed, “Okay, to be fair, I had just been shot by a bow caster when I was fighting her.”

“A bow caster?!” Colt asked, amazed that Ben wasn’t killed by its impact. “I’m shocked you’re alive, and you fought her with such a wound!”

“Well I did and, yes, she beat me.”

“Is this the same rat from Jakku?” Kearney asked impatiently, evidently annoyed at any sort of conversation regarding Rey.

“Don’t call her that!” Ben hissed at Kearney.

Kearney’s eyes widened at her sudden realization. All the pieces of the confusing puzzle fell into place. Ben killed Snoke _because_ he was protecting her… he loved this girl.

“Where did you go when you left us to deal with Hux?” Kearney spoke with an accusatory and jealous tone. Her tongue moved quickly as the words slipped off it.  

“I ran from the Order and Assassins with Rey,” Ben stood to tower over Kearney like Kylo Ren would have, “and _you_ are going to talk about her _only_ in a respectful manner.”

“Sorry, I didn’t realize you changed your female preferences from goddess to rodent.”

 The rest of the knights collectively took a step back from Ben and Kearney. They had all been aware of Kearney’s ongoing crush and they _all_ disapproved of her current behavior.

“Kearney,” Ben took a deep breath, centering himself. “I am bonded with Rey through a Force bond. We believe we’ve shared it since birth and it has only recently developed into a more powerful _thing_. I’m sorry that your disappointment in my choosing her hand in marriage over yours is too immense for you to speak respectfully but that’s just the way it is now.”

“You’re marrying her?!” Kearney screamed through her mask, “I thought Jedi couldn’t marry!”

“They can’t, which is why I guess it’s lucky that neither of us are Jedi.” Ben continued to speak in a cool tone, he had zero patience for Kearney’s immaturity.

“I can’t believe how low you’ve stooped since we last saw you. I stood and fought beside you against Hux _and_ Timeer and now you betray us just so you can fuck some slut nobody? Must be an uncomfortable lover too, with all that sand getting everywhere!”

Ben let his rage get the best of him as his patience finally ran out, he raised his right hand and called upon the Force. He tightened his Force grasp around Kearney’s slim, yellow neck. Kearney began to choke, but she still stood strong. She wasn’t going to let herself appear weak to the rest of the group because of some silly Force trick they had all mastered years ago. Ben tightened his grasp further, a reminder to Kearney to remember her place.

“You have no right to talk about Rey like that.” Ben spat, “You will respect her just as you respect me, if you have a problem with that then there’s the door.” Ben released his grip on Kearney and let her collapse as she tried to catch her breath.

Kearney avoided everyone’s eyes as she stood and re-masked herself in shame and embarrassment. Kearney sat in the dark stone corner as she quietly listened to the rest of the group catch up. Everyone seemed fascinated with Ben and Rey’s relationship, interested in trying to understand how the Force bond worked. The group’s seemingly natural interactions further annoyed Kearney but she had learned her lesson, she wasn’t going to speak on the subject again. She couldn’t risk being cast out, she couldn’t risk being isolated from the only family she’d ever known.

 

***

 

The knights continued to engage in friendly conversation as Kearney worked to sharpen her blade. Had it not been for her sitting nearer to the outside world and having her mind to herself, she may never have heard the ships approaching.

At first, the sound was distant and Kearney wrote it off as wind or rumbling from the developing storm. Then, the noise grew louder and Kearney’s mild suspicions were confirmed. The First Order had arrived.

The group scrambled to prepare for the impending battle. Everyone re-masked themselves and ignited their weapons.

When they emerged from the cave, hundreds of stormtroopers were waiting for them, blasters raised. They were scarily outnumbered.

Luckily, it appeared as though Hux nor Timeer were around. Just a few stormtrooper regimens, can’t be too bad, right?

Ben tried to reach out to Rey through the Force but his attempts failed miserably. Something was blocking his connection to her, maybe it was the storm or the distance?

The first blaster bolt erupted simultaneously with the storm. A bright flash of lightning illuminated the sky. Ben guessed it struck land few miles out. It wasn’t long before the lightning was accompanied by rain.

The battle had begun as more and more blasts erupted around Ben.

Ben fought in unison with his knights, it was just like the old days. Dodging, blocking, stabbing, and jousting.

Ben was so focused on the battle he had failed to feel Rey drawing near.

The fight thrilled Ben, he thrived on the adrenaline.

It wasn’t long before Ben noticed they had successfully decimated nearly all of the troopers. He continued to scan the battlefield, looking for any cowards who were left behind.

“Ren!” Ben heard Azazel’s voice surge from behind him.

Ben turned abruptly only to find Azazel pointing his finger at Timeer. _How’d he manage to make it on the battlefield without our noticing?_ Ben thought to himself.

Only then, did he notice Timeer was stalking something… someone. Ben narrowed his focus onto the duel that had just broken out. In the dark of the night storm, Ben caught sight of two yellow blades twirling through the air.

_No!_

Ben sprinted towards the duel, reaching Rey at the very moment it was almost too late.

Without a second thought, Ben ignited his saber, stabbing it through Timeer’s back without a second thought. Timeer fell lifeless to the ground but all Ben could see was Rey.

She stood abruptly in the rain and faced Ben and his knights who had collectively lined up beside him.

Ben tossed his saber aside and ran to Rey. He pulled her into his arms and held her shivering frame as close to himself as humanly possible.

Ben yanked his mask off and tossed it aside, “I said I’d come back for you!” Ben shouted in the rain.

“Last time someone told me that, they didn’t. I’m not letting you get away that easy,” Rey responded.

Ben grabbed Rey and kissed her in the pouring rain. Everything blurred as all of his attention focused on _her_.

Ben was torn from his daydream when Azazel’s friendly hand greeted him on his back.

“So, you’re the girl we’ve heard so much about?” Azazel asked through his helmet.

“Guess I am,” Rey responded with a shrug and a friendly smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Azazel.” Azazel held out a gloved hand for Rey to shake.

Ben laughed, “Why don’t we wait to do introductions till we’re dried off and on the _Falcon_?”

“Of course, Kylo.” Azazel retracted his hand and followed the group to the _Falcon_.

 

***

 

The knights all sat in a circle around Ben and Rey as they discussed their plans moving forward. Kearney, still in her _mood_ , removed herself from the group. She sat in the corner, just within earshot of them. PAD accompanied Kearney in sulking, chatting occasionally. Ben glanced to the droid and the alien occasionally, he felt uneasy not being able to hear the full extent of what they were discussing but he trusted PAD to remain faithful to him.

Now well acquainted, Rey realized Ben’s knights were all incredibly unique and hosted fascinating conversation.

“If the troopers arrived with Timeer then that means Hux is aware of our presence here. We’re no longer safe on Yavin IV…no one is.” Gotam spoke with knowing purpose. “You mentioned that the current Resistance base is located on the dorsal side of the planet?”

“Yes,” Rey responded quickly.

“You also mentioned that Naboo is willing to help us take down the First Order?”

“That is correct,” Ben responded plainly.

“It appears to me, that the end of the First Order is now. Rey, you should COM call the Resistance and Naboo. Request the queen to send supports to us as soon as possible. We needed help here as of yesterday. I think the biggest threat right now is to the Resistance base. We need to get there as soon as possible.”

“I agree,” Rey said.

“My mother is already aware of my presence on the planet, just as I’m aware of hers,” Ben mentioned.

“That’s good. I know you’re not in the best standing with your mother but I have a feeling she still loves you.”

Ben subtly rolled his eyes at Gotam’s obvious statements.

Gotam noticed Ben’s attitude shift and changed the direction of his comment. “What I’m saying is, the Resistance will back us in this fight against the Order. That’s good, but we need to get over there to describe strategies as soon as possible.”

“We’ll leave before sunrise tomorrow morning,” Ben responded.

“I agree with Ben’s plan,” Rey began. “If we leave before sunrise then that decreases our chances of being seen by lingering First Order ships that may still be scanning for lifeforms on the surface. Hopefully, we’ll remain undetected until then. I’ll go COM the queen to request immediate assistance.” Rey headed for the cockpit leaving Ben alone with his knights.

“So…you like her?” Ben asked his knights.

All of the knights nodded immediately. Their nods were accompanied by positive comments and assurance. Kearney’s face bore a permanent frown but she still nodded her head along with the other knights.

 

***

 

The group managed to make it through the night undetected.

In the morning, they set off for the base, landing the ancient ship near Rey’s meditation pyramid. The ship’s ramp lowered just as the first rays of sunlight were peeking over the horizon.

Ben and Rey climbed to the top of the pyramid to greet the sun together.

“Did you get ahold of the queen?” Ben asked.

“Mmhmm, she’s sending two thousand soldiers to assist our efforts. Half of those soldiers are pilots and will arrive in their ships, ready for battle.”

“When will they be here?”

“They’re taking the shortest hyper speed route through a heavily patrolled First Order zone but they should be here by this evening if everything goes according to plan.”

 Ben breathed a sigh of relief, _it’ll all be over soon._

The sun lit the morning sky in a fresh light, fighting past the hindering clouds that had begun to plague the sky. Unfazed by the horrors that plagued the planet the previous night and unaware of the nightmare that was yet to come, the light shone purer than ever before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, so sorry the update took as long as it did. Life gets in the way sometimes. :/ 
> 
> Anyway, I hope the double feature was worth it! Next chapter we've got some interesting developments. Rey embarks into the resistance base and hosts a meeting with Leia, Finn, and Poe. Well, let's not spoil everything. :) 
> 
> As always, I love feedback and reading your comments seriously gives me life! (Feeling a little bit like Kearney lately but it's cool.)


	25. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey is reunited with Leia and the gang. She hosts a meeting when an unexpected guest makes their presence known. Things don't necessarily go as planned...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Completely un-BETA'd. Sorry the update too forever but life is busy. :/ Anyway, enjoy!

Rey walked through the forest with a poised elegance. Ben had stayed behind on the _Falcon,_ for the time being, continuing to catch up with his knights. Despite the fact that they were his only family for years, he was only now realizing how little he actually knew about them. Ben and the knights occupied themselves through sharing stories of various adventures and battles, many of which had been kept private all those years.

A brisk wind nipped at Rey’s ankles, immediately defeating the planet’s attempt at a warm and humid day with a cruel stroke.

Rey emerged from the forest, her breath caught in her lungs at the full sight of the Rebel base. It looked nearly the same as it had when she left. _Of course it looks the same, it’s not like your lack of presence in a place would make it change drastically over such a short amount of time._ Rey told herself.

Crates were still getting shuttled around on automatic trolleys as people bustled off to breakfast. From one simple glance, Rey noticed a significant increase in Resistance numbers. Their count had nearly doubled since she had last made her presence known, _I guess the base doesn’t physically look any different but it sure is highly populated now_.

Rey found herself walking through the stone halls of the pyramid turned base. Her worn shoes padded quietly on the damp floor. Rey found herself pleased to once again be an unpopular, or rather unknown, face. When Rey left, everyone knew her as the “last Jedi”. Now, no one stopped her to ask her about the sacred religion. No one dared stop her to request she show them her saber or tell them stories from the events that transpired on Starkiller. Everyone Rey passed had virtually no idea who she was. Because there _had_ been so many recent recruitments, the number of people who recognized Rey compared to the number of people who only knew her name were outnumbered.

Rey made her way to Leia’s quarters with purpose. She had to call for a meeting with the General as well as a meeting with her friends as soon as possible.

Rey found herself holding her breath as she stood outside the General’s door. Why was she so afraid to knock? Was she afraid to face her? Afraid to face the Resistance once again? Afraid they would no longer accept her once they discovered her _true_ relationship with Ben?

No. Rey decided that her fear was simply a fear that had grown from her internal insecurity.

Rey raised a strong hand and knocked on the old wooden door.

A few breaths later, the door opened with a slow creak.

Before Rey stood a frail woman, the life rapidly fading from her burdened soul.

Leia’s eyes were sunken, carrying heavy dark bags with every blink. Her cheekbones were hollowed. Leia looked as though she hadn’t eaten in the entire time Rey was gone.

Tears hindered Rey as she pulled the frail, yet still strong, woman towards her in a warm and loving hug.

Leia let out a gasp at the sight of Rey, she’d never been more thrilled to see someone she barely knew.

The aged woman found herself trapped in a sea of tears and sobs as Rey supported most of her weight. Though Leia knew her physical body was weak, she had never felt more indestructible. Her mind was still strong as her hope in her son was deep-seated and kept her going.

Leia ushered Rey into her room as best as she could before taking a seat at a little tea table she had in the corner. Rey joined her quietly. She couldn’t help but glance at the old photo of Ben on the way to her seat. He looked so happy sitting in his proud parent’s arms, his ears also looked so cute. The mere sight of the old photo brought a smile to Rey’s face, which Leia mirrored as she, too, glanced at the photo.

Leia got straight to business, searching Rey’s body and spirit for indications of her son. Noticing nothing immediate aside from a bruise on Rey’s upper arm and a slight mark just below her ear, Leia saw nothing more glaring. She especially noticed Rey’s peculiar body language, more specifically her efforts to hide her hands under the table. _Hmm._

“Rey, where is my son. I feel him here.”

“He’s,” Rey paused as she looked into the woman’s clouded eyes. “You’re right, he’s here. He’s on the _Falcon_ right now with his knights.”

“His knights?”

“The Knights of Ren. He, well _, they_ escaped the _Finalizer_ shortly after Ben did. They managed to make it here and they’ve successfully managed to remain hidden on the dorsal side of the planet.”

Leia nodded in understanding as she once again eyes Rey’s bruises. “I trust your travels with Ben were… _pleasurable_.”

Rey tried not to let Leia’s suggestive choice of words reach her features but, despite her efforts, a slight blush managed to sneak itself onto her cheeks. “Our travels were very splendid, regardless of the multiple _things_ that tried to kill us. We managed to make our way to Naboo actually.”

“You managed to make your way to Naboo?” Leia was surprised, she felt her eyebrows raise and her head tilt slightly to the right.

“Yes, uh General?” Rey stuttered.

“Please, it’s Leia.”

“Right, Leia, I was wondering if we could invite Finn and Poe to join us in this conversation. I have missed them immensely, but there are a few important matters we must discuss now. We can spend time catching up later, but for now, we have some pressing issues to attend to.”

“Of course. Your tone is making me uneasy, Rey. I hope it’s not as bad as you’ve made it out to be.”

“I’d rather explain everything when everyone’s here,” Rey concluded.

 

***

 

Finn and Poe were greeted by Rey’s beaming smile and friendly hugs. They were beyond thrilled to see her again as they made their way into Leia’s personal quarters. Ordinarily, the kind of meeting Rey had called for would be conducted in a more professional space but given Leia’s current health status, they would be staying in her room.

“When Leia mentioned you returned I almost didn’t believe her, but here you are,” Poe stated, clearly shocked that Rey was really standing before him.

“Yes, here I am. I trust your… _negotiations_ went well back on Celanon.” Rey said with a smirk.

“Yes, they were _very_ successful,” Poe answered with a wink.

“Rose would be happy to see that your braiding skills have improved, significantly.” Finn noticed. Rey had intricate French braids that threaded themselves around Rey’s head, settling themselves in three buns similar to the ones she used to do. Ben had taken the time to do her hair the night prior after the knights had gone to bed.

Rey reached up and touched her hair, “Oh yeah, I uh…didn’t exactly do them myself. I still can barely manage a regular braid.”

Rey’s comment caught Leia’s attention. The old woman glanced at Rey’s hair with a gleam in her eye. She recognized the braids, recognized the technique the hair artist had used. It was an old Alderaanian style, simple yet classic. Leia’s eyes drifted to Rey’s left hand, she still had it tucked under the table making it nearly impossible for Leia to see. _She’s definitely hiding how serious her relationship with Ben is…_

“Who braided your hair then? Did you, Rey a scavenger, make a friend on your little trip?” Finn asked.

“I guess you could say I made a few friends on my trip, but no. It was an old friend of mine that helped me out. I’d really rather discuss this when they’re actually here.”

“Just tell us Rey, who’s your old friend?”

Rey sat, flustered in her chair as she thanked the Force she’d omitted any formal pronouns from her description of her ‘friend’.

“So, Leia, Poe, Finn. My _friend_ and I travelled to Naboo. We met the queen and got on great with her. We spent most of my time away there, relaxing in a residence the queen had set up for us. It was great! Anyway, the queen offered her support to us. She’s sending us 2,000 soldiers to assist our efforts in the fight against the First Order. They’ll be dropping out of lightspeed in a few hours.”

“That’s incredible!” Poe applauded Rey.

“How’d you manage to do it?” Finn asked. “Naboo has remained uninvolved in anything to do with the First Order. Now suddenly, out of the blue, she is sending us 2,000 soldiers to help us out?”

“Yes, the queen took quite the liking to Ben and I.”

“What?” Finn and Poe asked in unison. “Did you just say Ben?”

“Yes,” Ben’s husky voice answered from the doorway of his mother’s room.

Everyone’s heads snapped faster than Poe could jump his x-wing to lightspeed. Four sets of eyes look at the large man standing before them for a brief second before jumping into action.

Shock flooded the room in waves so thick Ben felt like he was drowning.

Everyone stared in awe, even Rey, but no one was as shocked as Leia. Tears clouded her eyes as the weak woman looked at her son for the first time in years. He was close to her, almost close enough to reach. Leia thought this day would never come. She was overwhelmed, she’d called out to Ben through the Force many times in the recent weeks to get a feel for him. Then, when she faced the truth of how quickly her health had declined, she called for Ben to come to see her. To come to say goodbye, but of course, she never thought he’d _actually_ come.

Leia began feeling fueled by other emotions. Her mind was a pot of soup made up of a little shock, a little anger, love, fury, and sadness all swimming in a broth of regret.

 Time moved slowly as Leia tried to filter her emotions, but to the rest of the room, events had never transpired quicker.

One moment Ben was standing in the doorway, the next Rey had frozen two blaster bolts in the air as Ben had frozen the blasted pilot and the degenerate coward who had once worn the white armor with honor.  

Rey’s arm began to shake as she found herself standing before Ben, protecting the man she loved from the fools she called friends.

Leia remained still on the bed, looking weaker and paler than ever before.

Suddenly Leia blinked as if she’d been pulled from a trance, freed from a confusing and exhausting train of thought. Leia’s sunken eyes glanced between Ben, Rey, Finn, and Poe.

Ben huffed and growled as he felt anger building in him. It would be so easy to snap the traitor’s neck, he thought.

A reassuring touch on his thigh brought Ben back to reality, Rey’s gentle palm centered him. Ben took a breath as he released the frozen traitor and pilot from his grasp.

The two men huffed as they regained control of their bodies. They stood in not only a new-found fear but also confusion. Poe raised his blaster to fire another shot at the ex-Supreme Leader but didn’t have a chance to aim and fire before Finn nocked it from his hand.

Rey’s arm gave out as she desperately tried to absorb the shock from the two blasts. Rey found herself slumping backward only to be caught by Ben’s strong, unforgiving arms. Rey hadn’t realized absorbing and deflecting blaster bolts through the Force was so exhausting.

“Ben,” Leia whispered from across the room.

Ben simply nodded, as he kept his eyes carefully focused on the potential threats who were still standing on the far side of the room.

Rey regained her footing and began screaming at her foolish friends. “How dare you shoot at him?!”

“Rey, that’s Kylo Ren! I don’t know if you’re forgetting but he’s the ex-Supreme Leader, the one who killed Han Solo, blew up the Hosnian System, decimated most of our fleet, tortured us, and tried killing you and Finn!” Poe replied, visibly shaken as his building adrenaline pumped itself through his thick veins. Poe’s fists only tightened at his side as he felt the unmistakable urge to punch the man in black.

“I damn well know that, but there’s a lot you _think_ you know, Poe, that you’re completely wrong on. I’m not going to get into it all now but if you ever plan on killing _him,_ you have to kill me first.” Rey spoke clearly and bluntly. Ben stood silently behind her.

“Rey, what are you talking about?” Finn asked. Seeing Kylo Ren standing before him was unsettling and something Finn only wanted to see if it ended in the volatile man falling to the floor in a puddle of his own blood.

“Kylo and I have a Force Bond and the whole time I was away, I was with him. Now, you will respect him just like you respect me. He may have made mistakes in the past, but mistakes can be forgiven. Your immature behavior cannot…remember that.”

Silence filled the room, Finn and Poe were statues as they stood with their defenses raised.

Ben reached out to brush their Force signatures. Finn was notably confused and felt a little betrayed at Rey’s failure to fill him in, but he also resonated understanding just as a good friend would. Rey’s stand-offish behavior from the weeks that followed Crait suddenly made sense to him as he began piecing the puzzle together. Poe on the other hand, was filled with nothing but hate, resentment, and betrayal. His eyes glared through Rey and straight into Ben. Part of Poe considered throwing caution to the wind and taking another shot at Ben, despite the high possibility of hitting Rey in the process.

“Ben,” Ben heard his mother once again. He let his eyes slip from the disgusted face of the pilot to his mother’s sick frame. She looked so small, so frail. Ben wanted to run and give the old woman a hug. He wanted to cry into her chest about _everything_. Ben wanted to curl up in her lap like he would’ve if he was still a child and small enough to do so. Instead, Ben stood still letting his face betray his true emotions.  

Conflict once again surged within Ben, he felt the room spin around him. He thought he was going to be sick.

Rey pivoted on her feet and considered Ben’s eyes.

“Ben, it’s okay,” Rey whispered under her breath. “You’re okay.”

Ben took a deep breath, exhaling shakily through his mouth. He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to focus on his emotions, reassuring himself that he was _okay._

“Hi mom,” Ben’s voice sliced the tension in the air with an unforgiving stroke.

Leia stood on her unsteady feet and started walking slowly across the room. The distance that was no more than five feet between them felt like she was walking a mile through a blizzard on Hoth. Leia’s withering body was failing her, and she knew it, but Leia still put on a brave face. Her son was here. Ben had returned.

Rey stepped aside for Ben to greet his mom for the first time in years. A monumental reunion was about to take place and it was long overdue.

Another unsteady step on Leia’s behalf and Ben broke. A stray tear escaped from the prison Ben had built as he closed the distance between himself and his tiny mother. Ben grabbed the small, weak woman in his arms and held her as close as he could without completely crushing her.

Leia cried into Ben’s chest as she finally let the pain in. The pain she had kept locked out for so long. The pain that lived just below the surface for all those years. The pair that nearly broke her fractured heart when she lost Han. The pain of her guilt. The pain of her body. All Leia knew in the moment was a painful bliss.

Ben cried silently, trying to not embarrass himself in front of the two men who still wanted to kill him.

Ben leaned his head down to his mother’s ear and slowly parted his lips as he breathed his words so quietly they would barely be registered as a whisper.

“I’m sorry mom.”

Leia froze for a moment, letting his words hang heavily in the air.

Ben was afraid he had been _too_ quiet, maybe she didn’t hear him?

Leia took a deep breath as she nodded into Ben’s chest. “I know,” she whispered. Her words were equally as quiet as Ben’s had been.

Poe and Finn continued to stand in silence. They soaked in the sight of the mother-son embrace with welcoming and confused eyes. Finn was beginning to warm up to the idea of Ben Solo being back, he barely needed any more convincing. Even without a formal conversation, he knew the man that once was Kylo Ren was formally dead. 

Poe, however, was not as warm to the idea of Ben Solo. He looked at the embrace coldly. When his eyes glanced to Rey, they softened. She looked so calm and happy. Was it possible Kylo Ren had just manipulated her to achieve such a response? No, she was too strong-minded for that. Maybe he had returned? No that’s impossible too.

Poe felt Finn’s hand on his shoulder. He snapped his gaze from looking at Rey to allow his eyes to rest on Finn’s.

Finn looked at him with a look that said, “Give him a chance. We have to.”

Poe exhaled through his nose as he nodded his head and gave Finn a miniscule shoulder shrug. Poe uncurled his fists and placed his clammy hands firmly in the pockets of his worn leather jacket. He wouldn’t act against this so-called Ben _yet_ , Poe needed to get a better read on this “changed man” before acting rashly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! I hope you guys liked that. Ben and Leia's hug was long overdue, wouldn't you guys agree? Hopefully I'll be able to get the next part out promptly but we'll see. I'm so sad this fic is getting near the end but there's still so much that needs to happen! Next chapter things really start speeding along. 
> 
> As always, feedback, kudos, comments, and anything is appreciated. Check me out on tumblr @walkingwookie ;)


	26. Déjà vu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey's shared nightmare comes to fruition before everything fades to darkness...

Ben released his mom from his tight grasp with limp arms and weak eyes. He fully soaked up the image of his mom for the first time in years, not letting the slightest change in her demeanor slip by him. As he looked into her depressed eyes, he wondered if there was a was a way he could heal her. _Why does it feel like this is terminal? Like there’s no way for_ me _to heal her?_ Ben thought to himself feeling inexplicably defeated.

 _Ben,_ Rey thought. _Ben, it’s okay. I have a few thoughts on Leia’s condition myself, and a few ideas as to how we can help her if not cure her all together. She’s not going to get away from us that easy just because some radiation decided to be a bitch one day and fuck the baddest woman in this galaxy’s life up._

Ben chuckled to himself at Rey’s comment. However, his subtle chuckle didn’t go unnoticed. Leia glanced between the couple and decided she needed to get answers for herself instead of beating around the bush with hints to the answers she was most seeking. Leia carried her tired frame across the floor, stopping gently before Rey. She grabbed Rey’s arm and pulled her left hand out from behind her back. The aged woman examined Rey’s slim fingers letting her eyes rest softly on the black and white ring. A whole new wave of tears managed to free themselves when Leia realized her son _was_ engaged to the love of his life, his equal in the Force.

“You’re engaged?” Leia cried, unable to dilute her beaming smile. The light that had been absent for so long returned to her eyes as Ben and Rey nodded in response to Leia’s excited question.

“You’re engaged?!” Finn and Poe shouted from across the room. Finn’s enthusiasm contradicted Poe’s abundant surprise and worry.

Before Rey could formally answer the men’s question, Finn was holding Rey in the warmest hug imaginable.  He whispered a quiet congratulation into her ear.

Poe continued to maintain his position on the other side of the room. The conflicted pilot was still failing to wrap his mind around the ample amounts of fresh information being thrown at him. He was hurtling emotion after emotion as he tried to form a solid opinion on the seemingly recent events that were actively transpiring.

“So, you two are engaged? Rey, did you really bring Kylo Ren here simply to parade your new found, _strange_ relationship around? How did you think we’d react? Were you expecting us to throw you a parade? Is that what you want? Do you expect us _all_ to completely forget this man’s past? Did you think that everyone’s troubles would suddenly disappear when you came back engaged to our biggest enemy? Or was that part of your plan all along? Are you trying to have sexual negotiations to bring peace to the universe, because if you are, that’s not how this works. Why would you, a _Jedi_ , pimp yourself out with this… _monster._ ”

Ben was seething. “Don’t you dare.-“

“Talk to my son or Rey like that. Who do _you_ think _you_ are Poe? You have no right to bring such an ample amount of disrespect into this safe space. If you can’t appreciate this happy couple then I can’t appreciate you, no matter how good of a pilot you are. I have a feeling the happy couple wasn’t planning on sharing their engagement with us until after our meeting had wrapped up but because I’m a curious old cat, I needed an answer to my wondering in a more timely manner. Now, I’ve never been happier in my life before but you just ruined the moment with your revolting attitude. If you would please excuse yourself, I have no patience for a man who can’t at least give a seemingly redeemed man a chance.”

“But General!” Poe whined.

“No! That’s enough. You may leave or sit quietly while Rey and Ben tell us their plan.”

Poe said nothing as he stood silently in the shadows of the room. He felt like a child that had just been disciplined in front of his friends, embarrassed and wrought with shame.

“Very well, Poe,” Leia choked on his name. “Now, the queen of Naboo is sending us how many men and women?”

“She’s sending us 2,000 soldiers. Half of them are pilots and will be arriving in their ships ready to fight.”

“That’s excellent! However, I’m still confused. The young monarch just woke up one day willing to offer this much aid to us when she’s previously shown little to no interest in picking a side?”

“Well,” Ben spoke. “We had a few interesting encounters while on Naboo and one of them led me to discover more about _our_ past.”

“What do you mean, _our_ past _?” Leia asked._

“What I mean is our family has had relations with Naboo in the past.”

Confusion spread across Leia’s face. “I don’t remember ever working with Naboo.”

“Go a little further back in history and you’ll understand mom.”

Leia gasped, “Anakin Skywalker?”

“Mmhmm.” Ben nodded. “When we were on Naboo, Rey and I came across this wonderful woman who was quite literally ancient. She knew my grandfather when he was still Anakin Skywalker, a Padawan to Obi Wan Kenobi. Well, our source accidentally spilled the beans about Anakin’s relationship with Padme Amidala.”

“Padme Amidala? The senator?”

“And once a queen of Naboo,” Ben added.

Leia leaned into her seat, shocked that she finally knew the identity of her mother. After countless years of theorizing, she finally had the answer. Yet Leia found herself feeling conflicted over suddenly having the truth to her query. A majority of her mind and soul wished she didn’t know the truth.

Leia found herself lost in flashbacks, flipping through them as though they were old photographs of a simpler time.

Leia found herself sitting in her living room on Alderaan. In the distance, maybe one or two rooms over, Bail Organa was talking to Breha about Leia, about her _real_ family. Breha had been afraid that it would be revealed who Leia’s _real_ family is. She was even more afraid that Leia would turn out to have too much of her father in her…her real father. Bail had assured his wife that those things were impossible. Leia would never fall to the dark side simply because of how strong-willed her mother had been. Padme couldn’t be seduced and neither could Leia, even if they never met in person. Leia recalled hearing her parents talk about Anakin and Padme for years before they told her she was adopted. A part of Leia resented them for it, but the sensible side of her knew it was for the best.

“Mom?” Ben looked at Leia, her eyes vacant as she was lost in a deep train of thought.

Leia blinked herself back into reality. “You said the soldiers will be here any hour now?”

“Basically, yes,” Rey responded.

“Good, it’ll give us some time to integrate them with our current Resistance members,” Finn added, clearly pleased with the news of the additions.

“Not necessarily FN-Finn,” Ben responded.

“What do you mean?”

“There was an attack last night. Rey and I were on the dorsal side of the planet in search of my knights when it happened. My knights, well you know the ones.”

Finn nodded as he recalled seeing a few of the nights over the years. They had always terrified him.

“So, your knights are here. Right now?”

“Yes, in the _Falcon_ actually, but that’s beside the point. The thing is, the First Order knows we’re here and after we decimated a few ship-fulls of troopers last night as well as Hux’s new right-hand man, an ex-knight of mine, it won’t be long until the First Order is back. I fear there is perhaps a tracker on the _Falcon_ that Rey and I have simply failed to notice.”

“It’s very possible. It seems we have less time than I was hoping. Poe, you’ve been awfully silent over there but I need you to go make sure everything is in order for a possible attack.”

“Absolutely General.” Poe bowed his head before hastening out of the room.

As soon as Poe made his way into the hall and closed Leia’s door behind him, the room felt lighter. Leia felt lighter.

Ben also noticed the change in the room, but he was distracted by something else. Something distant was pulling on his mind. Something distant was pinging his Force signature.

 _Ben? Why does it feel like you’re in a different place?_ Rey asked, concerned as to what was proving to be such a hindering distraction for Ben.

_It’s my knights, they’re pinging me. Calling me._

_Well, why don’t you answer?_ Rey asked.

_It’s not that easy, it’s not like you and me. This is different. I think I need to go check on them, see what’s wrong._

After Rey insisted to accompany Ben to the _Falcon_ countless times, he finally obliged.

“Leia, it’s been wonderful catching up but I think Ben and I have some matters to attend to regarding his knights and the _Falcon_. I’m afraid we’re going to have to excuse ourselves.”

“I understand, Rey.” Leia pulled Rey into a hug before bidding her and her son a formal goodbye.

The couple left the room hand in hand leaving Leia alone with Finn.

“Wow, I was not expecting _that_ ,” Finn stated.

“You weren’t expecting what?”

“Any of it.”

“Me too.” Leia chuckled as she excused Finn to debrief Rose.  

 

***

 

Rey and Ben managed to go relatively unnoticed as they made their way back to the _Falcon_.

They climbed the ship’s ramp in silence, apprehensive about what truths awaited them.

The couple found all of Ben’s knights huddled in the main hold of the ship. The appeared to be examining a small device that could be easily identified as some sort of tracker.

 _Shit._ The pair thought in unison.

The knights looked up at the couple at once, “It’s a tracker.” They said cohesively.

“No shit, where’d you find it?” Ben asked.

“It was in the cargo hold full of dresses the queen gave you,” Azazel responded.

“Do you think the queen planted it there?” Ben asked.

“No, she would never do that to us. She’s working _with_ us and that tracker is obviously First Order tech,” Rey said, noting the red and black first order logo on the tracker.

“We’re thinking that whoever planted it also packed the cargo. The queen obviously didn’t do it herself so she’s clearly got a mole in her ranks.”

“Well, do we tell her? She has to know.” Rey’s mind flipped through her memories of everyone she met on Naboo that could be in cahoots with Hux.

“We can COM her but it’s unlikely she’ll be able to do anything about it.” Ben had his own theories regarding who the traitor was but some of them were so outlandish he wrote them off as nearly impossible almost immediately.

“Good point,” Rey agreed. “So what now?”

“I think we need to destroy the tracker, the First Order obviously used it to track you to the dorsal side of the planet and they’re probably just waiting until the storm fully unleashes itself to make planetfall again. I’m sure they’re fully aware of our presence at the abandoned Rebel base so I think there’s no harm in destroying it. All we can do now is wait for them to arrive.” Kearney said, breaking her silence in the presence of Ben for the first time since the previous night.

A few of the knights appeared to be surprised to hear Kearney respond in a civil tone to Rey, but it seemed as though she was taking the high road and accepting the truth of what was.

PAD, who had remained surprisingly silent during the conversation, stood and began absently walking towards the ramp of the ship.

“What is he doing?” Trory asked.

“I don’t know,” Ben stated, genuinely confused at his droid’s peculiar behavior.

The group collectively walked towards the ramp where they found PAD standing still.

In the emptiest voice the droid could speak in, he announced his recent findings. “The planet’s barometric pressure just dropped immensely while its humidity has increased. The storm is upon us as are approximately 20,000 new lifeforms just outside the planet’s atmosphere.”

“What?” Rey asked.

“The First Order has arrived.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you love inconsistency? If not then this definitely isn't the story for you! Lol, real talk though, my chapters vary in length from 1000-almost 6000 words and my update schedule will got from every 2 days to 2 weeks. Shocked you've made it this far! Thank you so much for the support with this story because I know it's been a bumpy ride! As this story is coming to an end I'm starting another one that's going to be a lot more planned (unlike this one that I've had no idea where I was going with it. It's my first fic guys, it's supposed to be bad. Right?) Anyways keep your eyes peeled ;) 
> 
> Next chapter prepare to discover what happened to Rey as well as get the hell of of Yavin for good. Thanks for reading! I appreciate all of you so much!


	27. The Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dreams may haunt you but rarely come to fruition, however, nightmares sometimes do...

Time moved quickly from when PAD made his announcement.

Before Rey knew it, she was sprinting through the forest as fast as she could carry herself.

Rey’s legs were burning as she leapt over fallen trees, vines, and waves of déjà-vu.

Ben was making sure to follow her closely behind, dodging obstacles with equal determination.

Strong and in love, the wind encircled them, pushing them closer together... Encouraging them to continue. It was their support, their savior, their hope.

With a thunderous roar, the stubborn sky continually protested the wind’s support of the couple.

Rain pelted the couple as they continued to sprint through the lush forest.

Rey jerked her head up to look at the angry sky while maintaining a grasp on Ben’s hand as tightly as she could.

A Tie-Fighter swooped above them, openly firing on the ground killing everything in its path.

The world seemed warped as Rey’s ears rung from the explosions, unapologetically disrupting her sense of balance and reality.

An x-wing came crashing out of the sky, nearly taking out the young couple with it. The ship’s collision with the ground was a violent one, followed by another explosion further throwing the couple off balance.

Ben pushed Rey out of the way of the fallen ship just in time. The dizzy couple found themselves slipping in the mud as other x-wings met their final resting places among the thick shrubs of Yavin IV.

Somehow, they managed to regain their footing and continue their dash toward the battle.

The sky erupted once again, firing as a third party in the battle. Lightning danced amidst the clouds, battering AT-ST’s with every strike.

With each step Rey and Ben took, mud splashed their surroundings.

_Splash. Splish. Splash._

_Crash. Boom. Whistle. sssssshhhhhhhBLAM_. More ships from various sides of the war freely fell to the surface of the battered planet.

Rey and Ben knew they had to find somewhere to go. The battle was growing increasingly dangerous and the odds of winning were in no one’s favor.

“Rey! We need to get to the Tikal Pyramids! The _Falcon_ is still parked adjacent to them! I’m not going to be able to protect you if we stay on the ground!” Ben shouted, despite his burning lungs.

“I don’t need your protecting, Ben!” Rey exclaimed as the Force sputtered around them.

Rey ignited her lightsaber, the yellow blades sparked to life with enthusiasm.

Ben smiled at Rey as he ignited his own saber, the rising crescendo of the battle did little to damper his smile.

“I know you don’t need my protecting, but I can’t lose you and we need to get off this mud hole of a planet as fast as we can! We don’t have much time!”

Rey, conceding reluctantly, started off towards the pyramids with Ben. Daggers of war fell around Ben and Rey alongside the heavy rainfall, they dodged every threat with as much spring in their step as a child running towards dessert.

Suddenly, the Force shifted as Rey’s grasp on Ben’s mind suddenly loosened. Rey turned abruptly, skidding and slipping on the mud, twirling her lightsaber as she went.

She found Ben lying motionless on the forest floor. Refusing to believe her honest eyes, Rey extinguished both of their lightsabers as she bent down beside him.

Her heart and body ached with every breath, her heart especially ached so much she could feel it breaking.

“No!” Rey screamed, the Force surging alongside her voice. Overrun with emotions, Rey felt the dark and the light sides of the Force begin a war of their own over her good conscience and her soul.

As the forest around her began to spin, a searing pain slashed her mind.

Everything went dark as Rey slumped onto Ben realizing their shared nightmare had come true.   

 

***

 

Kearney sprinted through the forest toward the heat of the battle. Her saber was ignited as she began hurtling herself faster and faster forwards with no regard to her surroundings. Azazel sprinted after her but she spared him no attention. There was no way in hell she was going to slow her roll enough to allow him to catch up with her.

Kearney didn’t know where she was going, but the Force did. It led her through the forest with purpose. Something with Ben was wrong and she needed to find him _now._ That much, Kearney was sure of.  

Azazel continued calling after Kearney but it was no use, she was determined to find Ben.

Kearney saw pyramids in the distance, she knew the Resistance had been occupying some of them in the recent months. She also knew that Ben and Rey were stupid and they would run to the pyramids in an effort to save the general and that blasted Wookie in a retarded heartbeat.

“Kearney!” Azazel made attempts to capture her attention once again, “Kearney!”

Kearney continued to ignore him, that is until she physically couldn’t ignore him any longer. Azazel had his hand extended as he used the Force to rip the stubborn Twi’lek from her focused motivation towards him. With one swift movement, Kearney found herself standing beside the stubborn young man looking at a lifeless body masked in mud and black in the distance.

“It’s him!”

Kearney raced towards Ben with no idea or certainty as to what she’d discover.

Kearney and Azazel worked to roll Ben over in the mud, his black uniform was now mostly dirtied from the brown mud as was a majority of his face. He looked like someone had spilled a can of paint over the top of him and left him in the rain to dry.

“Kylo!” Kearney called. She placed her hand on his forehead feeling for the cause of the injury.

She found nothing but the faint light of his soul.

“Azazel, we have to heal him.” Kearney’s brows furrowed as she wondered how they should best go about healing him considering she hadn’t been able to locate the cause or origin of his injury.

“How can we heal him if we don’t know what’s wrong?” Azazel asked as he began searching for his old friend’s weapon.

“I don’t know, we just have to!” Kearney cried.

“Kearney, his weapon’s gone!”

“What?!”

“His saber, it’s not here! He would’ve been long dead had he lost that on the battlefield. Whoever did this to him took his saber and left him for dead!”

Kearney’s hand continued to rest on Ben’s forehead. She began flipping through his memories of the moments that had occurred right before he fell unconscious.

“What do you see?” Azazel asked.

“It’s Kylo, he was with the _Jedi_ girl. They were going to the temple to find his mother.” Kearney’s hate for Rey was still palpable as she choked on her words.

“They were going to find Princess Leia?”

“General Leia,” Kearney corrected, “and yes. But then…”

“What? What happened?”

“I don’t know, his memories just go black. _Everything_ goes black.”

“I think he was stunned and his body slipped into a temporary coma,” Azazel finally announced. “It’s the only explanation.”

“Okay, so if he was stunned, then what happened to _Rey_?”

“I don’t know, but we have to find out, and soon, look. It seems like the Tie-Fighters are fleeing the planet.”

“Wait, I don’t think they’re retreating because of why you think,” Kearney noted, still holding Ben in her lap.

“What?”

“Look,” Kearney pointed at a whole fleet of ships that had just dropped out of lightspeed right just outside of Yavin’s atmosphere.

“Help has arrived,” Azazel sighed.

Ben rolled over in Kearney’s lap as he began choking on mud. Kearney tried to comfort him but he shrugged her off.

“Where’s Rey?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one, I know I'm terrible!   
> I've been so damn busy with this Domestic Violence Advocacy Training and work the last few weeks I've barely had time to focus on this fic or any other works in progress. Ugh! Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this short one and are ready for what's to come in the next one. (Again, never not inconsistent! Next update hopefully won't take as long, wish me luck with the procrastination.)   
> Once again, thank you so much for reading and following this story. It's you guys who keep me going and I love everyone one of you!


	28. Hux Strikes Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux hosts a broadcast where he attempts to put Rey in her place in front of the galaxy...

Rey awoke in a cold room.

Her head spun as the memories began to float back. A thick forest, heavy rain, hot fire, muddy clothes.

Rey tried to get a grasp on herself as she looked around the room she was being stored in. It looked just like the interrogation room from Starkiller, only now she couldn’t release her restraints with the Force. In fact, she couldn’t feel the Force at all!

Rey panicked as she tried squirming her way free. She knew it was no use but that didn’t stop her from attempting it for many tiring minutes. She felt weak, the Force dampeners made her powerless.

A painful headache was deciding to make its presence known as it pounded her head like a drum. Rey blinked away tears, she couldn’t let herself brake. Not when she knew she was being watched. Not when she knew Hux was probably watching her with sadistic pleasure.

 Though she had never met him, she could still imagine his features clearly. An ugly smile was probably creeping its way across his face as his eyes were glossed over with the sheer thrill of inflicting pain.

Rey tried one last time to call upon the Force but her efforts were immediately shut down by the sound of a door opening. Behind her, three pairs of footsteps made their way into the room. Rey took a deep, shaky breath as she tried her best to collect herself.

She opened her eyes, not realizing she’d closed them, to look upon _her_ guests.

Before her, stood two troopers and one former General. The now Supreme Leader’s smugness and cocky attitude was palpable upon the sight of a restrained Rey who was still waring for muddied clothes from Yavin.

Rey decided she wasn’t going to allow her captor the pleasure of having the first word, “I don’t believe we’ve met.” She began, speaking in a collected tone. “I’m Rey, and _you_ are?”

Annoyance emanated from Hux, he was unmistakably pissed off.

“ _I_ am _your_ Supreme Leader and you _will_ treat me with respect, scavenger scum.”

“What makes you think you deserve my respect?” Rey quipped, “You’ve done nothing but terrorize me and tie me up. In my eyes, you’ve done _nothing_ to earn my respect. I don’t think highly of you and neither does anyone in this galaxy.” Rey refused to break eye contact with the monster before her.

Hux successfully prevented his itch of fear from showing through his tight grasp on his emotions.

“You’re right, they don’t respect _me_ , in fact, they barely know who I am. I was just a general, but you. You’re a symbol of hope for them, they don’t care if you’re a slut or not. You’re a nobody who became a Jedi, people idolize your story which means they idolize you.”

“How would they even know my story?”

“It appears word travels fast when people are hopeless, living under the rule of the First Order. It’s been a month since we managed to capture you and despite your lack of presence, your spirit continues to inspire people that there’s still ‘good’. I need to remind people that even sparks of hope can be extinguished.”

“So, you’re going to gain the people’s trust by killing me and making a public display of it?”

“Precisely,” Hux sneered. “But give it time, it appears there are circumstances that are forcing me to keep you around for a little longer than I had originally anticipated.”

Rey rolled her eyes at the ignorant leader, his plan had lots of holes and she hoped he hadn’t recognized them.

“How do you suppose you’re going to sway every system to have an appreciation of your rule?”

“That’s no concern of yours.”

“So, if you came here to kill me, how long am I going to have to wait?”

Rey shifted her weight in the interrogation chair, she was growing increasingly impatient and the restraints felt as though they were growing increasingly tighter around her wrists.

“Patience is a virtue, _Jedi._ Besides, you should be used to waiting. You waited on Jakku for how many years before you realized they were never coming? Nineteen years? Twenty? According to the scan our medical team did on you two weeks ago that was their estimation of your age.”

“What?” Stress reached Rey’s eyes, had she been here for two weeks? How had they kept her sedated for so long? Why hadn’t Ben come to rescue her yet? Was he still alive? What about Leia? When Rey had seen her on Yavin she looked past her expiration date, was she still alive? If only Rey had a grasp on the Force, she’d be able to reach out to Ben and let him know she was okay. That she was as safe as she could be for the time being.

“I’ve been here for two weeks?” Rey asked, breaking eye contact with Hux for the first time since he’d walked into her cell.

“You’ve been here for four weeks actually,” Hux sneered as a devilish grin crept across his face. He looked possed, he _was_ possessed. Possessed by all the evil in the galaxy.  

“A month?!” Rey closed her eyes as she pressed her head into the chair. How was any of this possible?

“You’re wondering how any of this is possible, is that it?” Hux clasped his hands behind his back as he paced around Rey’s chai pausing behind her head. He crept his mouth beside her ear choosing his words wisely.

“It’s possible because you’re nobody.” Hu’s hot breath sent shivers up and down Rey’s spine leaving her squirming and uncomfortable. “You have no power,” Hux continued, “You’re helpless and _weak_. Just like your _fiancé_.”

 _Is._ The words lingered in the air, giving Rey hope once again. He _is_ alive, at least for now.

“Where is he?” Rey asked, her voice as weak as Hux said _she_ was.

“You’ll be happy to hear that I have no idea,” Hux responded, knowing the words he chose were the same as the words Kylo Ren had spoken to her when he’d ‘interrogated’ her. Hux was manipulative and proud of it.

Hux’s words affected Rey in just the manner he was hoping for.

Rey squirmed in her chair, trying to muster the strength to break free so she could tear the ginger monster limb from limb.

Rey screamed as her restraints tightened further, they were so tight she was almost sure her wrists would break from the pressure.

Rey’s hands were numb as she felt herself try to calm down. He was safe from Hux and that’s what’s important.

 “Now scavenger, this is when the fun begins.”

“Fun?” Rey allowed herself to feel the fear that flowed through her unapologetically. Fear of the uncertainties Hux was implying, fear of the man himself.

Hux turned to the troopers and ordered them to bring in the broadcasters. Rey watched as a group of people with cameras for HoloVid walked in. They spit on Rey as they passed her, all of them equally disgusted at the slut who sat before them. Each of them more aware of Rey’s state than herself.

One of the broadcasters gave Hux a thumbs up signaling that they were live.

Hux began his monologue while Rey remained silent, sitting helplessly in the back of the picture.

“As you all know, I am Supreme Leader Hux and I’m here today to remind every traitor out there what will come to you if you refuse to corporate with us.”

Hux pulled a small blade from his sleeve and held it up to a spot just above Rey’s right brow, pressing ever so slightly. Blood dripped onto the knife leaving it impure and muddied.

Rey winced as she felt the pain hit her but it was nothing as bad as what was to come.

“Many of you know this woman, she’s a symbol of hope for you _rebels._ She reminds you that there is still good in this god-forsaken galaxy. The fact of the matter is, there is only the First Order.”

Hux slipped the knife down Rey’s cheek, along her jaw, down her neck, ending at her clavicle leaving a mark reminiscent of Ben’s scar. The cut grew deeper as it progressed and Rey struggled to keep dripping blood out of her eye and mouth.

Rey felt tears pool in her dull hazel eyes as her blood began to slip down her chest, staining and thoroughly soaking her dirty shirt.

The blood was hot and thick and the feeling of it slithering across her skin made Rey feel like an abused animal.

Rey continued to grimace the pain in silence, she wouldn’t give Hux the pleasure of hearing her cries for him to stop.

“The girl who sits before you, bloodied and damaged, calls herself Rey. She considers herself a Jedi, but she is no Jedi. No, she’s just a bitch who decided to disobey the Jedi code she supposedly follows for rump in the sack with Kylo Ren.”

Hux raised a hand and slapped Rey hard across the face. She felt numb before letting out a cry when the pain and stinging settled on her cheek. Tears began to slip away from her as she tried catching her breath from the panic and anxiety that was polluting her mind.

“That’s right, the perfect little Jedi that you adore and admire so much got herself knocked up by Kylo Ren.”

Rey looked at Hux in shock as she continued to bleed and choke on blood. Had she heard him correctly?

Hux grabbed Rey’s left hand and waved it for the camera to see. Her ring still sat proudly on her finger, a symbol of her love and commitment to Ben.

“Rey, a quote on quote Jedi, is engaged to Princess Leia and Han Solo’s son and she’s having his babies!”

“Babies?!” Rey shouted, breaking her silence. “I don’t know what game you think you’re playing but I have no idea what you’re talking about!”  

Hux dropped Rey’s limp hand and grabbed her hair. She cried in pain as she tried pulling her head away from his tight hold.

“You probably like this, don’t you?” Hux tilted his head as he looked at Rey hungrily. “You probably like being controlled, abused, and put into your place. I can only imagine how submissive you must be when you’re with Ren. The omega to his alpha. ”

Hux ran a finger down Rey’s bloody cheek, admiring her crimson liquid on his finger as he pulled it away from her face.

Hux slipped his bloody finger between his lips and sucked it clean, releasing it with a pop. Rey cringed with disgust at the animal before her.

She tried squirming away from Hux but the restraints offered her no room to move.

“Please!” She cried. “Let me go!”

Hux stepped away from Rey and faced the camera once again, “This is who you look up to.” Hux pointed an accusatory finger at Rey. “This slave is who you want to be your hero. Well, she won’t even be alive long enough to see the birth of her babies. _I_ am your Supreme Leader and _you_ will obey the First Order’s rule or you will suffer similar consequences.”

The broadcast ended as Hux stabbed his blade into Rey’s shoulder, ripping her shirt in the process. Rey emitted a high pitched scream as she choking on more of her blood. Rey bit her lip in an effort to keep quiet which only drew more blood.

Rey cried freely, now that the broadcast had ended. She didn’t care whether she looked weak or not anymore.

There was no hope.

“Guards,” Hux spoke with hate and power in his voice, “take her to her cell. Don’t allow her to be visited by the medical staff until I tell you. She’s going to suffer, she _deserves_ to suffer. Oh, and no Force Restraints on her cuffs in there. The door will be Force sealed but I want her to be able to talk to Ren. Let her bring him to us.”

Hux didn’t understand how the Force worked but after watching all of Ren’s security footage, he knew the couple could contact each other from across the stars.

The white trooper helmets nodded in unison as they released Rey from the interrogation chair. Rey’s hands tingled and turned purple as the blood slowly flowed back into them.

The troopers pulled Rey to a standing position but her feet gave out from under her letting her fall to the ground.

Hux kneeled down to look into Rey’s eyes and remind her of the power he held over her.

“Look at you, you’ve been reduced to nothing. Now, no one respects you, you slut.” Hux reached forward and swept Rey’s hair from her eyes. A momentary act of pity ended when Hux spit on her reminding her of the desert rat she was.

He stood and towered over the scavenger. Hux kicked her in her gut, knocking the wind out of her. Rey gripped her chest and stomach as she choked to get air into her lungs. Rey felt her abdomen as she remembered the main topic of the broadcast. Rey reached out with the Force to find two faint strands of light blooming within her.

Hus wasn’t lying, she was pregnant.

Rey cried as her blood-soaked body ached for relief. The knife in her shoulder continued to stab her and, with every slight movement, the pain only intensified.

“Oh, and do be gentle with her,” Hux spoke to the guards without removing his gaze from Rey. “She is pregnant after all.” He chuckled sadistically.

“What about the knife?” One of the troopers asked.

Hux whipped his head in the trooper’s direction, “Code 487, don’t speak out of turn.”

The trooper nodded through his mask, a symbol of backing down.

“If you’re really wondering, just leave it.” Hux looked at Rey one last time before stomping out of the room.

The troopers picked up Rey by her arms and dragged her through the halls of the ship towards her cell. It took everything Rey had to not break from the pain. Her body was limp and her feet failed to find traction with the smooth, black floors of the ship.

The troopers pulled Rey into a small, dark cell with cold walls and no bed.

They dropped her like she was a pile of dirty laundry, letting her fall to the hard floor without a second thought.

The knife only pressed farther into Rey’s shoulder as the troopers closed the door to her cell. She found herself alone and in pain as a prisoner of the First Order. Rey tried crying away the pain but it was no use. She held her stomach as she slumped into the wet corner of the room.

At least she wasn’t _really_ alone.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys! I updated! I have been so impossibly busy it's insane! Summer my ass. Ugh! Anyways, I hope the update was worth it. Next week I finally will have some more time to focus on writing so another update is coming! Plus, I have so many ideas for one shots/ other Reylo fics right now so I'm basically drowning in words that I have yet to get down onto paper! Plus, I'm so behind in the fics I'm following right now! It's bad, anyways, Rey's really at an all time low right now but there's babies!!! What do you think Ben's been up to lately? Plus, Leia! Where is everybody? Just some things to think about ;)


	29. Daydreams Spoilt By Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey finds safety in her daydreams as she tries to escape the truth of her reality...

Rey’s shaky fingers crept their way up her arm, pausing on the knife that was still brutally lodged in her shoulder.

Rey knew she shouldn’t remove it. She knew that if she did remove it, the wound would only bleed more and she’d face _more_ pain. However, she also knew the game of manipulation. If Rey happened to bleed herself into unconsciousness, Hux would be forced to provide her with medical aid.

Rey’s fingers tightened around the knife’s handle. Her grip was shaky and uneven. Simply holding it made the weapon move slightly, delivering more waves of pain.

Tears broke the stream of blood that continued dripping down Rey’s face and chest.

She was a mess.

Rey let out a pained scream as she mustered the strength to remove the foreign object from her shoulder.

Rey tossed the knife away as her hand began applying pressure to the wound. Rey’s original plan of bleeding as much as she could before Hux came to her dreaded “rescue” wasn’t going as well as she’d hoped.

Rey devised a new plan in which she would try to simply find relief from the constant pain thrumming through her.

Rey clenched her teeth as she tried adjusting her position on the cold floor. She managed to get herself sitting upright after multiple pained moments of effort.

Rey unraveled her arm wraps and pressed them on the wound. She bled through them almost immediately. Frustrated, Rey tossed the soaked material aside.

Dried mud and dust began mixing with the warm blood making a gooey mess of slop and mud while Rey sat soaking in the disgust like a homeless animal.

Time passed and Rey couldn’t figure out whether it had been seconds, minutes, hours, or days since she’d pulled the knife from her shoulder.

By looking at the amount of blood she was still bleeding, she decided it hadn’t been as long as she’d originally been hoping.

Time passed slowly when Rey was in pain. It always had.

Rey closed her eyes trying to find a comfortable place in her mind.

She imagined a sunset. The sunset from Jakku, the sunset in her drink from Celanon, the sunset in her flower, and the sunset from Naboo.

Rey decided that sunset had been her favorite of them all. Naboo was where she let herself fall for the man of her childhood dreams.

Rey remembered the way the soft oranges and pinks peppered with faint clouds danced in the sky. She recalled the darkness’ sneaky ways of creeping in, chasing the sinking ball in the sky.

Rey wished she was back on Naboo. She wished she was back on the _Falcon_ or back in the lake learning how to swim.

Rey imagined she was as free as birds catching the wind. As Rey fell farther into her daydream, she could almost feel the wind blow through her hair, the sun on her face, and the ocean spray she’d feel as she swooped and dove through the air above the waves.

Rey felt goosebumps at the sheer thought of it.

She began imagining what she’d be doing right now had her circumstances been different. Would she be watching another sunset with Ben? Would Leia’s face be beaming as she and Ben told her she was pregnant? Would the galaxy be celebrating the fall of the First Order? Maybe in another universe all those things _were_ happening, but in this one, Rey was alone in a cell, pregnant with twins, and bleeding herself towards unconsciousness.

Rey kept her eyes closed as she felt her head growing foggy. She knew if she chose to bring herself back to reality, she’d be faced with the honesty of her reality. Instead, Rey continued to live in her fantasy land.

She found herself in a far-off place where she was greeted with a warm welcome. She was _home._

The faces of Han and Leia would meet Rey and Ben at the door and cheers would erupt as they entered the old cottage in the forest. Rey would lead a little girl with braids towards her dolls and Ben would pick up a little boy before handing him to a beaming Leia. Then Rey would turn to welcome her parents with open arms. Her _real_ parents. In Rey’s daydream, they had never perished on Jakku. In her dream, the name Kira was still relevant and never became a relic of the forgotten past.  

Rey shivered but it was okay, she could just walk to the fireplace in her dream. Shortly, she felt warmth grow across her skin. Rey realized the cold that had surrounded her was no longer there, was she actually warm or had she just grown numb to the empty air surrounding her physical body?

Rey reminded herself she was warm from the fire in her mind. Rey’s hands found other warmth within Ben’s own, larger hands.

Ben’s hands pulled her away from the fire and Rey complained.

 _“Can’t we stay beside the fire a little longer?”_ She whined. _“I’m so c-cold.”_

Rey’s imaginary Ben said nothing, instead, he began shaking her.

_“What are you doing Ben? Why are you doing that?”_

“Rey!”

Rey heard her name ring through her ears, but it wasn’t from her daydream.

“Rey!”

 _Is that Ben’s voice? It can’t be, that’s impossible._ She thought.

Rey continued to dream of the little cottage in the forest, further blocking out the real world. Though, despite her efforts, the daydream wasn’t the same. The light of the dream was gone, the fire extinguished, the love drained.

Rey looked for the girl with the braids, for the boy with the curls, for the parents she never knew, for Han, for Leia, for Ben but they were gone. _Everyone was gone._

Rey cried as her distracting daydream evolved further into a nightmare.

She continued to shake unnaturally as she sat on the cold floor of the house.

Rey felt cold blood begin to seep its way from her shoulder down her arm and chest.

Thick, old blood coated the rest of her from where her cheek and neck had been sliced.  

Rey was certainly a sight to be seen in her dream. She had once again become the version of herself she tried to run from. The real version of herself. Prisoner of the first order, bleeding and alone.

Rey’s head was pounding as she decided to open her eyes once again. Her real eyes.

Rey glanced around her cell. Everything was the same, cold, wet, and dark. She was the same, bloody, dirty, and numb.

However, she wasn’t alone.

Rey’s heavy eyes landed on the kind eyes of the most wanted man in the galaxy.

Her dry throat tried to muster the strength to speak his name but it was to no avail.

Ben, however, couldn’t stop talking. Rey’s ears were involuntarily tuning him out but the love in his eyes was enough for her.

Despite the world around her being blurry, _he_ was clear. It was as if he was the only thing that really made sense in the moment.

Suddenly, everything came into focus. It was like being blind all your life and finally putting on a pair of glasses.

Rey spit out a pool of blood that had managed to collect from some of the blood that had escaped her Kylo Ren-esque wound.

Rey finally heard Ben’s voice. He was panicking, that much was obvious.

“Rey! Rey, can you hear me? Rey, say something please! Rey! Oh, no no no no no no. Please say something, anything!”

Ben’s hands gripped Rey’s arms as he shook her like a rag doll.

“Ben…” Rey choked.

Ben’s eyes widened with surprise and excitement when he heard her voice.

“Oh, Rey! I saw the broadcast but after it ended I thought you were dead! I couldn’t feel you, then I was here. Since I was able to materialize here I knew you were alive but you kept ignoring me. I think you were unconscious, in a dream or something. Anyways, it doesn’t matter. I need to get you healed!”

Ben lifted a canteen of water to Rey’s lips and began pouring the water down her throat. Rey choked a little but was grateful for the effort.

She pulled her mouth away from the canteen causing Ben to spill water all over her.

“Fuck, I’m sorry Rey. I’ll see if I have some dry clothes over here I can give you.”

“Ben, I’m fine. Please calm down.”

“What do you mean calm down? Look at you, this is not an appropriate state of being for someone in your condition.”

Rey smiled despite the pain that was still palpable.

“Ben, you’re going to be the best dad imaginable.”

Rey’s words broke Ben from his flustered panic. He paused his efforts to make Rey comfortable and keep her conscious. His eyes finally found hers and saw her for the first time in a month. He _really_ saw her.

He leaned in a gently placed a kiss on her lips. Suddenly, all the pain Rey had been feeling was eradicated and made obsolete.

“We’re going to be parents,” He whispered, his hot breath tickled Rey’s cold lips.

“Mmhmm,” Rey hummed as she gently nodded her head.

Ben pulled away from Rey’s face.

“Rey, as always you’re beautiful but you look like a mess. Please let me heal you.”

“Fine, get on with it.”

Ben called on the Force as he ran his hands over Rey’s shoulder and face.

“Why did you remove the knife?” Ben asked as he continued his work.

“I like to keep life interesting.”

Ben snorted, “Rey, I’m being serious. Growing up I’m sure you learned to never remove the object blocking the bleeding.”

“Well, yeah but doing what I’m supposed to eliminates all the fun. Now doesn’t it?”

“How are you so infuriating and yet the best woman alive?”

“I guess I like multitasking, but would you really like me to be any different?”

“No, definitely not.”

Ben’s hands traveled over Rey’s skin, running themselves over her arms, shoulders, and face.

Rey noticed what he was doing and lifted a hand to stop him.

“Ben, you’re removing all my scars.”

“I know, you’re the most perfectly imperfect woman imaginable but I want to do this for you. You mentioned a while back how you wish you could remove some of these so I’m helping you. Would you like me to stop?”

Rey shook her head, “No, but leave this one.” Rey lifted her finger and pointed to the scar on her shoulder she’d proudly earned while fighting a Pretorian guard all that time ago.

“I wouldn’t dare heal that one.”

Ben leaned down and kissed the scar. Rey smiled as she leaned her hand down to feel the lights blooming within her once again.

She located them with ease and felt them growing stronger with each passing moment Ben spent working to heal her.

Although Ben was only working to heal her surface scars, she felt some of her internal wounds healing too.

She was strong and unstoppable once again.

Ben finished his work and collected himself before pulling Rey into his lap. She was still covered in mostly dry blood but that didn’t stop him from wanting to feel near to her.

His large hand landed on Rey’s abdomen. He reached out with the Force and felt the two light spirits Hux had spoken about.

_That little piece of shit wasn’t lying._

“Do you feel them?” Rey asked.

Ben’s eyes grew wide as he nodded his head. “They’re going to be born into a home with happy parents Rey. I can’t wait to meet them.”

Rey couldn’t wait to meet them either, but for now, she needed to focus on the current issues at hand. She had eight months until the babies would be here, and eight months to spend daydreaming about them but the current ‘Hux’ issue was a time sensitive conflict.

“Ben? Where are you? What happened after Yavin?”

“I’m safe Rey. Don’t worry about me. I’m coming to get you.”

“No, don’t!” Rey shouted, pulling away from Ben to face him.

“What?” Ben was shocked at Rey’s changed demeanor. “Why shouldn’t I come and get you?”

“That’s exactly what Hux wants! He also knows we’re connected through the Force. He found all the recordings of us talking face to face despite being light years apart.”

“What?! I didn’t know the security cameras would be able to register a signature who was only present through the Force.”

“Well, evidently they can and now Hux is keeping me in a cell that is lacking Force-restrictions so that he can get me to manipulate you! He wants you to come rescue me so that he can set a trap!”

“Well, what are we supposed to do then?”

“I don’t know, but can you please tell me what happened after Yavin?”

“After you were taken I was found by Kearney. I’d been poisoned but she and Azazel healed me.’

‘The Resistance suffered great losses and had the fighters from Naboo not arrived when they did, we’d probably all have been eradicated then and there. Although, once Hux got you, ­ _all_ First Order efforts ceased and they retreated to their ships. Poe led an attack on some of the crafts and managed to take down two star-destroyers before the fleet jumped to lightspeed.”

“Did Leia survive?”

“Yes, well my knights healed her as I worked on meditating to find you. It took a week of Azazel and Kearney’s efforts but they managed to bring her back to good health. I think we owe Azazel and Kearney big time now.”

Rey let out a sigh of relief, Leia was okay.

“What about the rest of your knights? Are they alright?”

“Well,” Ben paused. That was enough of an answer to Rey for her to feel sadness for the loss of the people who used to be Ben’s only family.

“So, Azazel and Kearney were the only ones who survived?” Rey asked, protecting Ben from saying the words she knew he was dreading.

Ben nodded, avoiding eye contact with Rey.

Rey scooted forward and hugged Ben. He held her as tightly as he could, he felt a gaping hole in his heart that was formerly occupied by his now fallen knights but the hole would soon be filled by his children.  

“I’m going to get you out of there Rey. I just… am not really sure how to yet.”

“Ben, be smart. Please don’t act irrationally or on your emotions. Hux needs me alive. Hell, he’s planning on keeping me alive until the babies come. You have time, make a plan and execute it wisely.”

“Rey, I’m just really worried.”

“Why?”

“I just healed a shoulder wound from where Hux stabbed you just for the fun of it. I also healed a scar that matched mine, also inflicted by Hux. If he’s doing this for no reason other than because he feels like it, what do you think he’ll do when he realizes I healed you?”

“I don’t know, but you don’t have to worry about that Ben. I just want you to focus on staying alive and protecting the people on our side.”

“But Rey, there’s more than just you I’m trying to protect here.” Ben’s hand found Rey’s as he looked at her flat stomach that was playing host to his babies.

“Ben, we’ll be fine. Trust me.”

 Ben nodded, mulling over his emotions and feelings.

“I love you,” he said and he felt himself drifting in the Force.

“I know,” Rey responded, eliciting a smile on Ben’s faded face.

Rey sat back in her cell feeling loved and safe despite the uncertainty of her circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, Rey's healed! Ben's safe and coming up with a plan...or is he? Leia's alive and well! 
> 
> Hopefully, Hux's end is near...(it is! Ha)  
> I hope you guys liked this chapter and are excited for the next! As always, comments literally give me life! Love you guys so much!


	30. Self Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Resistance gang tries to develop a plan to finally infiltrate the First Order and end their reign...

Ben let himself sink into the pilot’s chair in the _Falcon’s_ cockpit as the words “ _I know”_ still hung heavily in the air.

The conflicted man wanted, more than anything, to drop everything and run after Rey. He wanted to be the hero she deserved, he wanted to be the “good guy” for once in his life. He wanted to act as a grey Jedi and be reunited with his other half.

It would be so easy to infiltrate the First Order and rescue her, given his prior knowledge and previous status. However, because of what Rey had said, Ben would have to propose a better plan and ensure they didn’t stray from it or improvise along the way.

Ben ran his hand through his noticeably longer hair before standing and moving towards the ship’s main hold.

Leia was sitting across from Finn and Rose at the Dejarik table, her features were calm despite the worry that flowed so purely through her veins. The trio was chatting about where they would find supplies to feed their currently massive army. Naboo’s assistance was greatly appreciated and always welcomed but it posed problems when it came to refueling and supporting so many troops. Now, instead of only having a few ships to refuel they had three larger ships to refuel as well as more than five-hundred fighters. More supplies were needed than Ben and Leia could negotiate. Times were tight but perhaps if Ben’s final plan could be executed soon, they wouldn’t need to crunch the numbers ever again.

Ben sat down at the table beside the trio with a heavy thud.

Finn, still somewhat wary of Ben, jumped slightly at the added presence. Rose greeted the tall man with a smile and welcoming energy. Leia, however, only greeted Ben with concern.

The whole galaxy had seen the broadcast and nothing but fear was present in Leia’s mind.

“Ben? Have you been able to sense Rey?”

Ben averted his eyes and simply nodded his head.

“Did you manage to host a connection with her?”

“Rey is safe. I healed her with the Force.”

Leia smiled, “ _Safe,”_ she repeated. “Being healthy doesn’t equal safe. You know that better than anyone, Ben.”

“That’s what’s troubling me. She’s still under the Hux’s control and it feels like there’s nothing I can do about it. I want to rescue her but she said to wait and form a solid plan before busting in, weapons blazing.”

“Well, just showing up to the First Order’s doorstep with a few guns probably won’t work out for you as well as it did for your Dad.”

Ben chuckled, “Probably not.”

Finn broke his silence, looking directly into Ben’s eyes. “Was Hux lying? About the babies?”

Ben stiffened, not sure how his mother would react. “No, he wasn’t lying.”

“Oh, Ben!” Leia erupted from her seat, wrapping her arms around her son without a second thought. Tears flowed from both mother and son’s eyes as they embraced. For a moment, all the pain and stress evaporated from the room as it was replaced with pure happiness and joy. A new generation of Skywalkers was growing in Rey as she was locked up in a cold cell.

“We can’t let Rey battle her first trimester locked in a cell on a First Order ship alone,” Rose began, “What’s our plan? Surely, we can’t let Hux have his way. We need to get Rey out of there as soon as possible, especially since we have the numbers to do so successfully right now.”

“Good Point,” Finn turned his attention towards Rose, “and with Rey in there do you think it’s possible we could try to bring them down from the inside?”

“No,” Ben stated firmly. “We can’t put Rey at risk like that, especially given her current state. Hux knows about our connection and he’s trying to use it against us. He purposefully didn’t lock Rey in an anti-Force cell so that she’d be able to talk to me across the stars. He _wants_ us to come rescue her. He wants us to try.”

“Does he know how many men we have behind us?”

“It doesn’t matter if he does or doesn’t. For every able man, woman, alien, or creature we have, he has five-hundred soldiers. We’re outnumbered astronomically.”

“So, what do you suggest we do?” Rose asked.

 “I have an idea, but it will likely fail.”

Everyone’s heads turned to look at the green droid who had remained relatively silent since Yavin.

“Well, PAD, speak up. What’s your idea?” Ben asked, knowing whatever PAD’s idea was would involve a lot of people and possibly a lot of time.

“No need to be rude about it ‘master’,” PAD gawked. “The First Order is recruiting any able man, ages 16 to 40, right now.”

“For what?” Finn asked. “Surely it can’t be to fight in the stormtrooper program, those recruits are taken and trained from birth. They’re unsullied, so why would Hux want to consider recruiting grown men? It also doesn’t sound like he’s being picky about his recruits. He’s willingly accepting every able-bodied man no matter their background?”

“According to my database, Hux wants to start a new program. Simply soldiers. No white trooper uniforms, just men.” PAD announced and he clicked across the room, his metal feet tapping on the old metal floor of the _Falcon._

“So, human shields. Expendables for the battlefield.” Finn exhaled, sadness was easily registered in his features. His eyes cast their blank stare downwards, focusing on an old scratch on the table. It was as if he was looking for all the answers to his troubles in that old, faint scratch. Rose placed a hand on Finn’s own trembling appendages, reminding him to refocus his attention on the here and now.

“Ya, my idea is to enlist our Naboo soldiers in the program. The program requires background checks but they’ll all pass given their peaceful pasts. We have two-thousand some odd soldiers, it’ll be easy to get them in there and start an underground rebellion,” PAD finished.

“PAD, you’re a genius. Among the trooper ranks, multiple minor rebellions are taking place. The First Order’s programming has been failing in the more recent years, as is notable with Finn’s situation. I think this just might work.” Ben leaned against the worn sofa, his hand on his once again clean-shaven chin as he mulled over PAD’s proposition.

“Ben, I don’t know how you programmed such a brilliant droid but that could definitely work! If the First Order trooper and soldier ranks are as weak as Finn and you are mentioning, it would be easy to send the Nabooians in as spies. They’ll be posted as expendables but it won’t matter, we’ll shortly after be able to infiltrate the ranks and bring the First Order down once and for all.” Leia stood from the table and walked to her COM to fill Poe, who was indulging in his most recent obsession.

After a few moments, Leia returned to the table and sat down.

“Poe and Kearney both think that it’s a great idea, they’re currently prepping our first cohort of ‘spies’ on the _Brutus_.”

“Excellent, thank you, mother.” Hope bloomed within Ben’s chest.

“We’ll have Rey back in no time. I can’t wait for this all to be over once and for all. This war has been going on since I was born, my whole life has been spent fighting. I just want a moment to enjoy the sunset. I want to be able to swim naked under a waterfall, to laugh over a glass of wine, but most of all, I want to sit under my own vine and fig tree, a moment alone in the shade.” Leia spoke of her hopes like she was nineteen again, hell, after being healed she felt nineteen again.

“You will mother, I promise.” Ben pretended not to be slightly grossed out by his mother’s hope to skinny dip after the war was finally over.

Leia smiled at Ben as she squeezed his arm before leaving him, Finn, and Rose alone in the ship’s main hold.  

Leia walked towards the ship’s cockpit. Her hand brushed over the worn walls of the ship as she walked through the ship. If walls could talk, these ones would never shut up.

Leia sat in the co-pilot seat and pulled her legs up so she could sit cross-legged in the chair.

Her small frame had never felt smaller as she stared at the stars ahead of the ship. Leia’s fingers worked to untwist her tight hair, letting her curls fall long and natural once again. Her hair lay in loose waves over her shoulders. The relief of letting her hair down gave Leia yet another reason to smile in the moment.

Leia adjusted her vest over her faded shirt before settling further into the ripped, hair covered seat.

Leia pondered the people who live among the stars and the people who had become the stars.

Leia’s thoughts drifted back to the snow-covered mountains of her childhood, the painted grassy fields, and the planet’s clean streets. Her mind still boggled over the fact that everything can be taken away from a person in the blink of an eye. With the push of a button and the slide of a lever, two billion people can go from happy to nothing more than particles of dust and rock.

Her mother had always told her that when someone dies they’re never really gone. They simply change form, they evolve into the next stage of never-ending life. When someone becomes one with the Force, their light joins the night sky so they can live on forever. Leia remembered her mother’s voice, “ _Never be afraid of death, my sweet one. Nor should you mourn someone for too long. No one is ever really gone and when you start to forget us, years after your father and I are gone, just look up at the night sky. We’ll always be there watching over you until the day comes when you too, will be among the stars.”_

 All those years ago, the sky acquired two billion more stars. Alderaan was not forgotten, nor did its light in the galaxy go out. Instead, it brought never-ending light to the darkness of space, filling the emptiness with the memories and spirits of an entire population.

Leia’s warm eyes glance over all the stars as she appreciated the spirit each one embodied. She knew for sure Han had joined the ever-growing expansion of space with his own little light, as did Luke. Even if Han was so stubborn as to believe that when a person dies, that’s it. They become worm food and nothing more, but Leia was smart enough to know otherwise.

Another smile grew across her face as she remembered Han’s stubbornness.

A star twinkled far off and Leia couldn’t resist herself, “I told you so.” She smirked as she could almost hear Han’s chuckle deep in her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone catch that little Hamilton reference in there? Hope so ;) I'll admit it, I could resist! Leia honestly needs a vacation though! Someone get her a palm tree, a white sand beach, and a pina colada pronto! 
> 
> Our gang is developing a plan to end the First Order once and for all! Finally!!! What do you think of it? hm? Alright, anyways I hope you liked this one! Till next time, may the Force be with you..always. <3


	31. Overthinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben faces the anxiety and turmoil that coincides with the art of being unaware. Meanwhile, Hux hosts another broadcast, giving Ben an update on the livelihood of Rey and their babies.

Ben paced around the _Falcon_ for hours. He didn’t know how long it had really been since he’d interacted with a living, breathing soul but he was lost in thought. Not even PAD could successfully derail the train of emotions that was due to arrive promptly at the next station with Ben’s panicking help.

His feet were as tired as his eyes. His hair was knotted and dirty as a child’s play mop. He needed a wash but refused to take the time to visit the ‘fresher. Apparently, over-thinking and anxiety did nothing to lighten Ben’s stubbornness.

COM call after COM call with his mother and Poe and Ben still didn’t feel like they were getting _anywhere_ with the first cohort of soldiers. They had all successfully been enrolled in Hux’s new program but progress was slow, so it seemed. Ben needed things to progress faster than they were and he was growing more impatient with every sun and moon cycle.

Ben continued to pace around the _Falcon_ , passing layers of dust and countless old stains as he went.

Yet another month had gone by and Ben hadn’t heard anything new from Rey. In fact, he hadn’t heard anything about Rey _at all_ which was grounds for concern. He could still feel her across the bond but couldn’t make the extra effort to feel her across the stars. It was like something was blocking him and his efforts. Something, or someone, was preventing them from hosting a conversation.

 _Probably just another one of Hux’s power plays_ , Ben thought. _Hux is just doing this to draw you out. Rey said he would! You need to listen to her. Stay put where you are in this god-forsaken ship; the fourth cohort of Naboo-turned First Order soldiers departs today and they’re going to continue infiltrating the program. Phew, breath. Just breath, kriff, now you sound like Luke._

Ben tried to listen to his own words, he tried his hardest to believe them but his efforts failed gloriously as he fell into an ever-growing pit of anxiety and overthinking.

Ben’s breath came quickly as started jogging around the all too small ship. It was taking all his strength not to break free and knock on the First Order’s front door without warning.

Ben trotted to the ship’s cockpit. “To hell with it,” He muttered aloud. “I’m coming for you, Rey.”

He fell into the pilot’s seat and began flipping switch after switch as he went over his trusty ‘pre-flight checklist’. Ben turned the old ship’s engine on and listened as its once again familiar hum filled his ears.

“ _Millennium Falcon,_ this is _Raddus II,_ why are you turning on your engines _?”_ A stranger’s voice erupted from Ben’s COM unit.

“Uhhh,” Ben blanked. He couldn’t muster a convincing response on the spot to save his life.

“Ben! Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Leia’s angry voice was unmistakable, even when it was heard through a COM device. Ben winced as he felt like a child who was caught sneaking chocolate when they were specifically told not to.

“Mother, I need to get to Rey. I can’t leave her there alone! We need to get her out of Hux’s grasp!”

“I understand your concerns Ben, but the fourth and final cohort just departed for the _Finalizer_ and will be docking shortly. As of right now, we just need to wait for the ‘soldiers’ to get acquainted and establish themselves within the First Order. They need time to properly infiltrate the ranks. You know that Ben, I _know_ you understand why timing is everything right now.”

“But Mo-“

“No,” Leia interrupted. “Rey is safe. If she was in bad shape, it would’ve been advertised throughout the galaxy by Hux and you _know_ he would make sure of it. I can’t have you running off being stupid, Ben. Especially not in times like these!”

“I understand mother.” Ben slumped in the pilot’s seat, defeated after being put back in his place. He wanted more than anything to run off and be the hero Rey deserved, but he also had to be smart.

Ben clicked the COM unit off before his mother could say anything more to support her case. More importantly, he turned it off before she could ask him if he was okay. She knew, just as he did, that he wasn’t okay, but it wasn’t something he’d say aloud. If he accepted that truth it’d mean he was accepting the weaknesses within himself. Ben also knew that if his mom asked him how he was doing, he’d be obligated to answer with ‘fine’ or ‘good’ because such a question really only has one acceptable response.

Ben continued to sit motionless, staring at the stars. He stared at the same blasted stars that separated him from Rey. Maybe time would pass quicker if he counted the stars between them?

“I’ll steal you back from them, Rey. I promise it.”

Ben finally gave his tired eyes a break as he slumped further into the chair, falling helplessly towards unconsciousness.

 

***

 

Ben woke to a faint beeping. It was distant at first but as he came to his senses, it’s pitch not only increased but so did its annoying effect on Ben.

Ben opened his eyes to see the First Oder logo floating above his HoloPad. That could only mean the First Oder had a galaxy-wide announcement and he was one of billions who were victim to watching it.

Ben sat up in his chair and loosened his shoulders. He rolled his neck as he grabbed his HoloPad. Ben didn’t know how long he’d been out but by the stiffness in his joints, he figured it had to be quite some time.

Ben opened the First Oder message and watched in disgust as a hologram of Hux floated before him. The man had been scaled down to fit all screens and was appearing before Ben as an elf who couldn’t be more than twelve inches tall.

Ben popped his feet up on the ship’s dashboard, hearing his father’s words in his mind. “Feet off the dash!” _Ha, not this time dad._

Ben realized he hadn’t been listening to Hux’s announcement and decided to try paying attention to the droning message to the best of his abilities.

Hux was talking about recruiting people for his ‘new program’. He mentioned how they were accepting capable beings of all species so long as they were able-bodied and could hold their own. The First Order would pay well and provide all things necessary for living. Ben was surprised at how successful Hux was being at delivering his message convincingly while sounding desperate all at once.

Ben started to zone out once again until he saw _Rey._

_Rey!_

It was Rey and she was tied up in that blasted chair once again! However, this time she didn’t seem nearly as scared. No, she seemed to be her same normal, strong self.

Ben’s eyes scanned her low-quality holo-vid appearance wishing she wasn’t coming across as twelve inches tall.

Ben could still smell her, still remember the folds of her hair, the flush of her cheeks, and the sound of her breath as she slept.

Ben’s ears reddened in anger at the sight of Rey’s restraints.

He watched in horror as Hux slipped his blade out of his boot. Rey maintained her stone appearance despite the threat that Hux continued to hold in his hand.

Ben never stopped admiring how strong Rey was.

Rey looked nearly the same. Her pregnancy wasn’t showing yet and she was still dawning the same muddy rags from Yavin, despite the battle being more than two months ago.

Rey’s hair was a disheveled mess but the light in her eyes still remained. Plus, after Ben’s healing session, Rey’s skin had never looked better.

Hux dragged the cool blade along where he’d made his previous mark, only this time he drew no blood.

Ben wondered what game he was playing. _Why is he toying with her?_

“The First Order has a zero-tolerance policy for _traitors._ ” Hux spit in Rey’s eye as his lips spoke his words in the mediocre sentence he’d managed to craft.

“As you all know by now, this is Rey. Your ‘hero’.” The mockery in Hux’s voice had never been more palpable but neither had Ben’s hatred for the rat of a man.

“…and Rey is carrying twins.” Hux used his knife to slice through Rey’s belt. Her drapey wrappings of her once Jakku outfit fell to the floor as she remained captive and shivering in her undershirt and tan pants.

Hux used his knife to lift Rey’s shirt just enough to expose her navel. “She’s barely two months along so as you can see, she doesn’t look pregnant yet but I can assure you she is. Plus, what reason would I have to lie to my loyal subjects?” The twinkle in Hux’s eyes was present, along with his ever so smug smirk, and it scared Ben.

_What is that bastard planning?!_

Ben continued to watch the Holo-Vid with newfound confusion. Had the video frozen? No, Rey was still blinking but Hux was unmoving. His knife continued to disrupt the lay of Rey’s shirt but his eyes lingered somewhere they shouldn’t be.

It was as though Rey’s breasts were hypnotizing Hux.

_You virgin! I’m going to take your eyes for that!_

Only then did Ben notice the harsh like of Rey’s clavicle and shoulder. Not only that but he could also see her hip protruding through the thin fabric of her pants. Hux was starving her! Not only that but he was putting on this display in a freezing room, Rey was shivering and her nipples were visible through her shirt!

Ben’s fist clenched and unclenched itself repeatedly as he struggled to dissipate his growing anger.

A smirk polluted Hux’s lips as the twinkle in his eyes grew. In the blink of an eye, Hux tore his knife upwards, shredding Rey’s tunic.

Before anyone knew it, Rey was left exposed and embarrassed before the galaxy while Hux’s hungry gaze stilled on Rey’s hardened nipples and pert breasts.

Ben stood from his chair and almost slammed the HoloPad on the dash but caught himself just in time. He was seething and had no patience for the imp ginger.

He reached out with the Force, hoping to feel Rey’s signature.

It took him mere seconds to locate her and the two lights that accompanied her at all times.

Ben brushed her presence with his, reminding her that he was there for her and that it would all be okay in the end.

Evidently, Ben’s connection with Rey was once again underestimated as he saw her tied up before him with little to no warning.

It took Ben a moment to realize that Rey was real and she was really before him. After weeks of something blocking him from her, he was really there, inches from her hot breath.

He couldn’t see the restraints Rey was under but he could see her and that was enough. Ben could also sense Hux but thankfully couldn’t see him, meaning no one else could see him either. This moment was happening exclusively between Ben and Rey.

Ben ran towards Rey and hugged her. She couldn’t hug him back due to the restraints but tears managed to find their way out of the corners of her eyes.

Rey refused to look at Ben, knowing that it would make Hux suspicious, however, that didn’t matter now.

Rey made eye contact with Hux but Hux broke the stare and instead directed his focus to the man draped over Rey, hugging her with all his love and light.

Ben felt the air in the room change and sensed Rey’s change in demeanor. Something was wrong.

He pulled away from Rey and found himself locked in panic.

“Shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I hope you guys liked this! Little bit of a cliffhanger there but you know. I considered just writing this out in full and not having a cliffhanger but I decided to split it into two (or three) shorter chapters because I wanted to get something out to you. Life is busy, per the norm but I'm making do. 
> 
> What do you guys think of Hux? That evil son of a bitch pervert needs to go down, wouldn't you agree? Hehe, till next time! <3


	32. Hux's End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben finds himself in the interrogation room with Rey, but she's not the only one who register's his presence...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes off exactly after the last one opening with the words we ended the last one on. Hope you guys remember what happened and enjoy! :)

“Shit.” Ben froze just as quickly as the rest of the room.

No one seemed to know what to do and Ben realized that the whole galaxy was probably frozen in shock, simultaneously. Ben had crashed Hux’s broadcast HoloVid and it was certainly a show-stopping entrance.

Two of the most wanted people in the galaxy were in the same Holo-frame while Hux and none of his subordinates had the guts to make the first move.

Ben’s saber was still missing after the battle on Yavin and he knew he wouldn’t be able to take down the whole First Order with an old blaster he’d scavenged from a dusty box on the _Falcon._

Ben continued calculating plans in his mind. Within a nano-second, he’d decided to improvise. Besides, all of the best plans were executed on a whim. Right?

In a matter of moments, Ben freed Rey from her restraints and found himself working with her to put every trooper and guard in the room to sleep with the help of the Force. None of them would remember what went down and that was how Ben wanted it.

Before long, the only conscious people in the room remaining were Ben, Rey, and Hux.

Hux hadn’t moved since Ben showed up. He never believed the Force could be so powerful. Hell, he often found himself laughing at it. Hux wrote the Force and its mystical powers off as delusion and grandeur, but boy was he wrong.

Kylo Ren was in the same room as him, completely unstoppable and more powerful than ever.

Evidently, there was much Kylo and Rey had yet to test regarding the limits of their Force bond. Ben had the ability to unknowingly transport himself to Rey, across the galaxy, _and_ interact with not only objects in her surroundings but people as well.

Ben took a deep breath before hurtling himself at the still frozen Hux. The ginger stood paralyzed at the sight of the raging beast.

As a last line of defense, Hux pulled a blaster from his hidden holster and fired at Kylo. The shot pierced Kylo’s shoulder but he seemed unaffected. His adrenaline acted as a natural shield.

It was in this moment that Hux realized he was formally and officially meeting his end and it was being broadcasted live, across the galaxy. Millions, no, billions of lifeforms were watching the events unravel before their eyes. Many of which were probably cheering their former Supreme Leader on. Everyone always enjoyed a seemingly good guy versus bad guy story and they were watching this one evolve live, before their eyes.

Hux closed his eyes and put up his hands in surrender, letting his blaster drop to the floor with a heavy thud. Anything would be better than dying on a live broadcast.

If Kylo managed to, in fact, kill Hux, what would his legacy be? A failed general, a traitor, a woman beater, an unforgiving man, a monster.

By the time Kylo had reached Hux, his fear of death had completely overtaken him. The ginger trembled like a freezing rathtar. He felt warmth trickle down his legs as he pissed himself. Hux was filled with complete embarrassment. He was looking death in the face but wasn’t man enough to even hold his piss and greet it like an old friend.

 

***

 

Ben reached the terrified man within seconds. He could feel the blaster wound in his shoulder still aching but it wasn’t stopping him from the satisfaction that would arrive after Hux took his last breath.

Ben leaped like a dog protecting his mate. He threw Hux to the floor unforgivingly and watched with glee as the man choked on his breath in the moments following the collision.

Ben stared into the blue eyes of the murderer and killer as his hands found the man’s far too pale throat. He’d waited for this moment for years and it was finally upon him. Simply breaking Hux’s neck wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Ben’s hunger. Ben considered giving into killing him with the Force, reminding him of his natural power, but he decided he wanted this to be hands on. He needed to feel Hux take his last breath. He craved feeling Hux’s life fade as his grip only tightened.

Ben’s fingers constricted around the man’s neck. His nails dug so deep into his skin he drew blood.

Hux’s face turned crimson, only a shade lighter than the blood that would only pump through his veins for a few moments more. His eyes bulged like a bug’s and Hux knew his time was nearer than ever. He could see death on the horizon, drawing closer and closer with every struggling gasp for air.

Hux’s eyes, bluer than the sea, locked on Ben’s own dark eyes. Ben’s face showed no pleasure nor glory, only satisfaction. The wretched man before him was finally getting what he deserved.

Ben was doing this for Rey. He was doing this for his unborn children. He was doing this for the millions of people Hux obliterated when he destroyed the Hosnian System. He was doing this for every tortured soul. Ben was serving justice and it was long overdue.

Hux’s eyes twinkled one last time as a single tear trickled its way down his hardened cheek.

Hux died a coward. He died a man who was made a fool in front of the galaxy. He died a pitiful death at the hands of a man who had remembered how to love.

 

***

 

Ben released his firm grip on Hux’s neck and stood, tall and proud. Hux was finally dead and Ben could begin working to make the galaxy right again.

Ben turned to Rey, who was standing just as proud as Ben was. She could not be taken down simply from Hux’s cowardly efforts to embarrass her. Rey knew she was still on live broadcast but that didn’t make her cheeks red in embarrassment at her knowledge her bare chest was still on display for all to ogle at. Hux had outed her but she was the embodiment of confidence and hard work.

Rey’s eyes rested on Hux’s. His now dull blue eyes reminded Rey of the sea of Ach-to. The once bright eyes were now dark with secrets never to be disclosed. They had been silenced by two hands belonging to the man that she loved more than anything in the galaxy.

Ben walked towards Rey, leaving Hux lying on the floor like a dead fish.

Rey’s eyes tore from Hux’s and met Ben’s with love, affection, and acceptance. Death was never the answer she preferred but in certain cases, it was the only solution.

Only a breath of air separated Ben and Rey. Rey’s eyes considered Ben’s as though she was seeing them for the first time. He was finally free from the ghosts of his past. Finally, free from the demons that haunted his mind.

Ben embraced Rey in a loving hug. Her small frame was dwarfed by his. His head nestled itself in the crook of her neck as he breathed her in. Ben reached out with the Force to end the broadcast leaving the image of a man and woman, embraced and in love, frozen and plastered across the galaxy.

Ben felt himself fading away from Rey but he knew that this battle was only beginning and he had to act quickly.

 _I love you_ , Rey called out across the bond as Ben felt himself re-appear in the cockpit of the _Falcon_.

 _I know._ he teased.

Ben looked across the field of stars that lay before him. A smile reached his face as he felt the weight of his dark past lift from his shoulders.

He was _free._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, the wicked old witch at last is dead! Man that was so satisfying to write! I know it was another shortie but hopefully you also think it a goodie ;)
> 
>  
> 
> Now Rey just needs to manage her way out of there considering the whole ship is now on alarm but at least Leia has an opening to measle her way in and restore the New Republic. Maybe we can call it the New-New Republic...hmmmm


	33. Captive Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey finds herself improvising yet another plan when she most needs to. In an effort to escape, Rey finds herself in a stormtrooper costume when she's confronted with fellow 'sympathizers'.

Rey held the air even after Ben had dissipated, returning to his position across the stars.

Rey held her eyes closed for a moment, holding her breath just as tightly. She wasn’t ready to return to reality. For just a moment, she continued to savor the long-lost hug.

The moment was over when alarms were raised on the ship.

“Shit, well it’s about time.” Rey picked up the shredded material of what once was her shirt and wraps. For a moment, Rey longingly remembered the seemingly simple days she’d spent under the sun of Jakku wearing the same garbs.

Well, those days were over and Rey needed a plan. Thinking quickly, Rey used the Force to hold the doors closed as she covered the security cameras with the shredded pieces of her once practical outfit.

Having done that, Rey found a trooper who seemed to be about her size and stripped them of their armor.

The trooper was, surprisingly, female and shared Rey’s measurements almost to a tee.

 _Convenient,_ Rey thought.

Rey dressed herself in the trooper armor and hid the female trooper in a wall storage compartment.

Rey laid among the other unconscious troopers and released her Force grasp on the door.

Moments later, troopers and soldiers alike flooded the room looking for the scavenger who’d escaped. Everyone had seen the HoloVid and equally knew Hux had met his fate. However, no one paid the corpse any attention. They instead, made a group decision to find the missing prisoner and proceed from there.

Rey thought it was funny, yet sort of sad, how none of Hux’s subordinates seemed to care even the slightest about his death. She also found the way the soldiers and troopers communicated knowing that their ‘higher up’ was no longer breathing interesting. They seemed to be winging everything just as much as she was.

The troopers Ben and Rey had worked to knock unconscious began to stir so Rey pretended to stir too.

She stood with the other troopers and looked at the group of people who’d collected in the interrogation room.

“What’s the plan?” Rey asked through her trooper helmet. She was trying to fit in but didn’t know what formalities to follow regarding storm trooper protocol.

Rey made sure to make it obvious she was looking at Hux’s corpse as she asked the question so that it would seem as though she was facing the shock of the situation. It would be the perfect excuse for a trooper’s breach in protocol. Right?

“Uh,” She heard one of the other troopers mutter.

Surprisingly, one of the un-armored soldiers spoke up.

“I am a member of the new soldier program and a former Naboo-ian.”

 _What?_ Rey heard herself think.

“Naboo-ian?”

“Yes, and I think our best move right now would be to find the scavenger and hand her over to-“

“Wait, aren’t you one of those infiltrators the Resistance sent in here?” Rey heard a trooper to her right ask.

“Oh yeah! I remember hearing about that,” Another trooper commented.

“Man, that is so cool that you guys are doing that!” Yet another trooper announced making it glaringly obvious that formalities had died with Hux.

“Well, I’m glad you approve…” The soldier seemed nervous. It was almost like he didn’t know what the troopers were going to do to him for being a traitor.

“Hey, have you met FN-2187?” A trooper asked.

The trooper to his left elbowed him, “Dude, he goes by Finn now. Be cool and don’t embarrass us!”

“Well, I uh…” The soldier stuttered. It was apparent he was uncomfortable and still had his walls up.

“You probably haven’t formally met him, but I have.” Rey finally spoke up.

“Well yeah, we’ve met him too. We trained together. Wait, what’s your number trooper?” The trooper who asked the soldier if he’d met Finn asked Rey.

“Heh, this is awkward.” Rey shifted in her trooper costume.

“We’re so fucking stupid.” A trooper announced. “It’s her!”

Rey put her hands up showing she meant them no harm and was also unarmed.

“Wow, it really is her! I just want to say that I’m a big fan of what you’re doing.”

“Me too!” Another trooper agreed.

“Are you guys part of the inner-Resistance among the stormtrooper ranks that Finn was talking about?” Rey asked. She was hoping her assumption was correct or it could mean her life.

“Well yeah! We’ve got you, you’re cool. In fact, I’d say nearly 80% of our fellow troopers are part of this inner ranking resistance.”

“Well that’s a relief,” Rey exhaled a breath she didn’t realize she’d been keeping as she looked around at the white armored Resistance sympathizers. “Sorry Ben and I knocked you guys unconscious.”

“Hey, I’d rather be put unconscious than be stabbed through the chest with a lightsaber.”

All of the troopers and soldiers in the room nodded their heads in agreeance.

“So, what are we waiting for? Soldiers, you’re all Naboo-ians, right?”

“A lot of us are. General Leia sent most of us here to infiltrate the First Order around a month ago.”

“Man, we had no idea you were Resistance!” One of the troopers announced.

“Alright, well do you have contact with the resistance? We need to get them here as soon as possible. Not even the Force knows what people who don’t sympathize with our movement are planning right now! The galaxy is up in arms and it’s all because of me and those blasted Solo’s.”

The once First Order now turned Resistance members in the room all chuckled.

“Right, well us ‘soldiers’ will get on contacting the Resistance.”

“Perfect!” Rey watched as all the soldiers in the room departed for the command center of the ship.

Rey turned towards the door herself but couldn’t reach the barrier of the room before she was being asked for advice.

“Miss Rey, what do you suggest all us troopers do?”

“No clue, just don’t kill yourselves and you should be good. Perhaps you should contact your families and tell them you’re okay?”

“Uh, we don’t have families,” A trooper reminded Rey.

“Well, then be each other’s family and enjoy your freedom. Also, point me in the direction of the confiscated weapons vault.”

The troopers collectively gave Rey directions to the weapons vault and she was on her way.

 

***

 

The halls of the ship were in chaos. Some of the troopers who weren’t sympathizers with the inner working trooper resistance lay dead while others lay dying. Rey refused to let the smell of blood and fire in the air affect her.

She just kept pushing on, running past romantic embraces and more corpses along the way.

Rey finally reached the weaponry vault. She used the Force to open the hefty door and within seconds was in.

Once inside, a box with both her and Ben’s saber laid before her. “Hux is such a weasel.” Rey laughed as she ignited her saber and clipped Ben’s to her belt.

Rey removed her helmet as she watched her blades dance happily through the air. They casted a yellow light in the artificially lit room as Rey spun them a few times over.

She didn’t over-do it but she felt complete once again at the feeling of the heavy weapon in her hand.

Rey found a change of clothes in the weapon’s vault and made the switch from her impractical storm trooper uniform into the black, armored garbs.

A pair of black pants that fit strangely over her curves were accompanied by a black tunic and black leather jacket.

Rey felt like a Kylo Ren wanna-be as she attached both her saber and Ben’s saber to her belt.

Rey was zipping up her boots when an announcement was made on the ship’s intercom.

“The Resistance is coming and if you’re still alive, then congratulations, it means you’re a part of the movement. Kick back and enjoy your first day living as free beings under the democratic reign of the re-established Republic.”

 

***

 

Ben ordered PAD to punch in the coordinates of the First Order turned Republic fleet.

He was still in shock that they’d managed to do it. The First Order had been demolished by its own troopers. Who knew that so many nameless stormtroopers could have so much power when they band together.

“PAD! What’s taking you so long?!” Ben yelled at the droid.

“I’m sorry sir but I can never get over how peculiar this ship’s ways of communication are.”

“What do you mean?” Ben asked.

“Well, I think the ship’s computer is flirting with me.”

Ben erupted in laughter, “It’s flirting with _you? You?_ I doubt that.”

“I’m serious, it just asked me to get a taste of her oil! Besides, you can have some extracurricular fun, why is it so unfeasible for me to? I am the better looking one after all.”

“If you say so PAD, just tell me ahead of time when you plan on getting down and dirty with the ship and we’ll give you your privacy but for the time being, let’s get those coordinates plugged in and we’ll be on our way.”

“Alright, I’m in.”

The ship hummed around them.

“That better not mean you’re, you know, with the ship right now.” Ben looked disgusted as he rethought PAD’s comment. ‘ _I’m in_.’

“I mean that you’re good to go. Ugh, get your head out of the gutter Kylo.”

Ben rolled his eyes as he sent the coordinates to the Resistance fleet. They followed him into hyper speed as they rushed off towards the re-established Republic fleet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I wasn't planning on getting this out there yet but then I remembered that I'm going on vacation next week! I've been so busy lately I almost forgot I have a flight on Monday morning. It's Vegas baby. Lol! 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and are excited to see how everyone handles the transition from First Order to Republic. I've had so much fun writing this but it's sad, we're almost to the end! :'(
> 
> As always, your comments give me literal life. Love you guys and thanks for reading this far lol :) <3


	34. The End of the War Without an End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben reunite as the war finally comes to an end...

The fleet emerged from hyperspace. Thousands of ships floated among each other. First Order and Resistance alike. Everyone was now living as a part of the re-established Republic.

Once enemy fleets now drifted through the dead of space as a combined power, ready to unite the stars and restore peace and balance to the galaxy.

 

***

 

Ben flew the _Falcon_ into a hanger bay on the _Supremacy._ He could feel Rey near. She was a beacon of light, love, and balance that his internal compass couldn’t help but draw him towards. He felt his saber’s crystal calling him but he didn’t have the time to answer it, he simply let his heart lead him through the twisting turning halls of the ship.

Ben passed thousands of troopers along the way but few of them paid him any attention. The masked white troops were distracted by the feeling of freedom.

Happiness seeped from the cold walls of the ship, which was something Ben had never once felt in all of his years with the Order.

He couldn’t resist smiling at every forbidden trooper couple embracing in the halls, at every unmasked soldier celebrating with drinks in the corridors.

A part of Ben wanted to join in the celebration but there was someone he had to reunite with first.

Ben managed to make his way to the outside of one of the ship’s armories. He felt Rey within the thick durasteel door and, with an easy wave of his hand, the door opened.

Rey sighed as her teary eyes met Ben’s. Ben’s smile warmed the cold room with minimal effort.

“You should smile more,” Rey teased.

“You know, I think a really smart girl told me that once,” Ben replied.

 _Get over here you big softie,_ Rey thought across the shared bond.

Ben’s smile grew as he leaped across the room to take hold of Rey in his strong arms.

Ben’s lips found Rey’s as they both sighed into their kiss. It was soft, yet passionate. The easy kiss was familiar and felt like eating your favorite food after being deprived of it for too long.

Ben pulled away giving room for his thumbs to find their way to Rey’s soft cheeks. His thumbs swiped the damp tears away, leaving salty streaks behind.

Rey and Ben pressed their foreheads together, feeling their bond hum and ring through space and time. It felt like the impossible had finally happened. There was _balance_.

“I’ve missed you,” Rey whispered as her fingers travelled through Ben’s long, tangled hair.

Ben felt as though he didn’t have the strength to reply to Rey’s words. He was holding her, _really_ holding her, for the first time in months and he was never going to let her go.

Despite Rey not hearing Ben repeat her words back to her, she felt him think them.

“Ben? What happens now?”

“Now…now we get to _live_ …” Ben responded, smiling to himself.

“We’re _free_ ,” Rey beamed.

Ben’s hands found Rey’s fruitful abdomen. “Well, we’ve got seven months till we’re bogged down with these two and then we’re not free again for at least sixteen if not eighteen years.”

“Oh, stop that,” Rey laughed, “These two are just another adventure for us to embark upon and man will it be a shitty one, which is why you’re going to be in charge of diaper changes!”

“Oh no way, you have to do at least some diaper changes!” Ben protested.

“Some,” Rey agreed. “You’ll do 90%, I do the other ten.”

“Fifty, fifty!” Ben fought.

“Eighty, twenty!”

“Fifty, fifty!” Ben restated.

Rey cocked an eyebrow. “Fine, seventy, thirty.”   

Ben’s face remained passive. “Fifty, fifty.”

“Sixty, forty?” Rey tried.

Ben shook his head.

Exasperated, Rey sighed. “Ugh, fine! Fifty, fifty!”

“Ahh, look! We’re already compromising in the parenting field,” Ben smiled again.

“That wasn’t a compromise!”

“Sure it was!” Ben crossed his arms jokingly.

 “Alright, whatever helps you sleep at night Kylo Ben.”

Ben looked at Rey with a confused expression.

“I’m only teasing you!”

Suddenly, an announcement came onto the ship-wide intercom.

_“A galaxywide announcement is going to be held. Everyone have your Holo devices near and tune in for the first announcement delivered by the Republic Assembly.”_

“And so it begins,” Ben huffed brushing his hair from his eyes.

“So, it begins, the next ‘adventure’.” Rey solemnly agreed.

“We don’t have to be a part of the Republic assembly you know?”

“But isn’t it our duty to be involved in politics?” Rey asked.

“Not exactly,” Ben shrugged. “Because we’re looking to explore more about being grey Jedi and learning about what that entails, I was thinking we should focus some more on that than jump right into this ‘Republic’ stuff.”

“Can we explore the universe too? I still want to try those strawberries you talked about back on Celanon. Ooh! And we need to get some more peanut butter and chocolate! Oh, and grapes! And you need to make us more omelettes!” Rey couldn’t keep her mouth from watering as she fantasized about various foods and treats.

Ben laughed, “Oh, there’s so much more you have yet to try but I promise I’ll get you some strawberries. And you can enjoy them on a planet with pink sand beaches, the bluest water you’ve ever seen, under a purple sky with the brightest stars! During the day you can relax under the shade of a tree that grows fruit with water as sweet as honey! In the evening you can swim among the fish that glow green in the warm currents.”

“But Ben, I don’t really know how to swim. Remember?”

“Well, I can teach you properly this time.” Ben’s hand once again found Rey’s abdomen as he felt the two lights within her. His world had shifted and now his focus was on his family, just as it should have been all along. “I’ll teach you and them.”

Ben and Rey’s pocket devices buzzed as the first galaxy-wide Republic announcement began.

Rey and Ben watched Leia speak to the universe, beside her stood heroes. Men and women who’d fought in this war, who’d lost people they loved, who were now united through the universal hope for peace.

Unmasked troopers held hands with Naboo soldiers who held hands with Poe, Finn, Chewie, Kearney, Connix, Rose, and many others including the blasted droids who’d truly seen it all. C3PO couldn’t be smugger standing beside R2, BB8, various medical droids, and PAD.

Ben knew he’d never hear the end of this from PAD, how PAD was now a ‘celebrity’ for being part of the Republic’s first live galaxywide broadcast.

Everyone stood together, each with a small medal plastered to their proud chests.

Ben laughed, noticing Chewie’s medal on his ammunition band. “That son of a bitch finally got his medal…”

“What?” Rey asked, confused at Ben’s statement.

“Ask Chewie some other time about the medal he never got but ‘definitely’ deserved.”

“Huh, will do.”

Leia started reciting her first of many speeches on behalf of the Republic.

_“My name is Leia Organa Skywalker Solo. I am the bearer of many names, most of which are controversial and thought to only bring chaos to this universe. Well, that much is true. However, peace is achievable._

_You’ve been hearing the same thing said a million times over as various governments and dictatorships have ruled through the eras, but this time_ , we will _get it right!_

_The re-established Republic is asking you to consider joining us, voluntarily._

_Democracy is achievable if it’s done fairly and appropriately given the expansive universe we’re dealing with here._

_We would like to offer every planet the freedom to develop their own governments, as we understand many planets have their own cultures their accustomed to. However, every government will have elected officials who will represent them in the Galaxy-wide Republic._

_The Republic will be in place to prevent any more galactic disagreements or prevent dictatorships in the far reaches of space from rising up and destroying everything we’ve built and worked so hard to maintain._

_The outer regions are strong people and we especially would like to employ them with fair wages to contribute to the universe instead of forcing them into a life of feeling like outcasts._

_It was a dark Force user from the outer regions who built up the First Oder and was once considered your Supreme Leader. Snoke is the very vermin who fed on power and the light, casting a dark shadow over everything. The Republic is the spark that will ignite the fire that restores light across the galaxy to all of you._

_Now, we are aware of the recent panic that has quickly spread across the stars regarding the murder and execution of Supreme Leader Hux. You all watched him torture Rey, the Grey Jedi in training who’s grown popular in the recent months. You also all saw my son Ben Solo, who was formerly known as Kylo Ren, murder Hux for love._

_Hux was a liar of the most blatant kind whose sinister figure permeated the whole of this tragedy, but whose purpose and design are shrouded in mystery. Hux has always had ulterior motives and craved power. Once he had it, he misused it and wound up casting his subjects in fear._

_In the end, more than 80% of the troopers in the First Order Stormtrooper program were anti-Hux and had their own organized rebellions within the First Order Stormtrooper ranks. We have been able to team up and work together to end the First Order all together over the last few days. It truly is mind-boggling how much can be accomplished when we work together instead of against each other. In a matter of days, evil can be demolished and peace can be established._

_Join us in restoring peace and freedom in the galaxy for the first time in decades.”_

The heroes of the resolved war joined hands as the projection faded from Ben and Rey’s Holo devices.

“Is that it? Is it that easy?” Rey looked into Ben’s dark brown eyes searching for the answers to her questions. The deep sea of brown always seemed to be riddled with more answers than Rey could fathom.

“Freedom is a simple thing but is often over thought and made complicated with documents and words to confuse people. It really is that easy, Rey. _We’re free.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The war is over! We've now OFICIALLY entered a period of piece so our heroes can finally enjoy their time in the shade. Who thinks they all need to go on holiday? 
> 
> Wow, I can't believe my first fic is almost over! One chapter to go, the epilogue. I'm not sure when I'll have it posted but it won't be too far out. I'm just hoping at this point that I've written a satisfying enough end to this space opera. It's been such a crazy ride to get here, let me tell you! I had no idea starting out that this story would get to be nearly 120,000 words long or 35 chapters!!! That's insane to me! And it went so fast! I remember posting the first chapter, I was freaking out everyone would hate it and tell me I'm a shitty writer. Looking back, the first 5 chapters were shit but that's part of it! It had a rough start but I had fun writing this tale and I hope you guys have had fun reading! Much love! <3


	35. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey find peace in their old age.

Rey’s legs dangle off the edge of a cliff as a cool breeze nips at her knees. Ocean waves crash on the rugged shore below as Rey breathes in the salty air. Her grey hair flows freely around her. Rey’s eyes are heavy as she peers across the horizon for the last time.

Ben joins Rey on the rocky cliff. His face is covered with grey scruff, but his hair is still just as thick as it had been when he was thirty. His scar is ever present as his beard continues to refuse to grow on the mark.

Rey rests her heavy head against Ben’s sturdy shoulder. His presence warms her just like it had when they’d spent their first nights together all those years ago.

Rey teats her eyes from the orange sunset and peers into Ben’s brown eyes with understanding and peace. The glowing sun makes his eyes glow golden brown and they’re richer than Rey had ever imagined being when she was a little girl bathing in the warm sands of Jakku after nightfall.

Rey wipes a tear from her cheek as she turns her head back towards the perfect sunset. Her bond with Ben has never been stronger as the Force sings its sweet song around them.

Ben grabs Rey’s hand and presses his plush lips to her bony fingers with the softest touch.

“Are you sure you’re ready to go?” Ben asks Rey. He knows his time is upon him. Ninety years in this hectic galaxy is more than enough for him but, even to this day, he doesn’t want to disappoint Rey.

Rey never pulls her eyes from the sunset, but Ben’s were still fixed firmly on Rey. She still captivates him. Besides, why would Ben ever want to look at something when it’s not the most beautiful thing in his world.

“I’m ready and it’s not like we won’t be back to visit everyone.”

“You know Chewie will never forgive us,” Ben teases Rey with a smile.

“Oh, that old Wookie will just have to deal. Besides, he’ll probably be too busy tormenting your kids to notice we’re gone.”

“My kids,” Ben protests. “Hey, they’re your kids. _You’re_ the one that had them.”

“And you’re the one that put them in me!”

Ben chuckles, his low voice piggy-backs on the cold breeze.

“I can’t wait to haunt our grandkids. We can scare the shit out of them like Leia did to us for a while,” Rey recalls.

 “I’m more excited to haunt our great grandbabies,” Ben admits.

“Oh, don’t remind me we’re old enough for _that_.”

“You’re right, it was only yesterday that I rescued you from those traitors you called friends on Takodana.”

“No, it was only yesterday we were decimating a supposedly extinct monster on Naboo.”

“Oh, that’s right, I must’ve had my days off.” Ben jokes.

Ben stares into the sunset. The darkness of night is beginning to creep into the orange and red of day but despite the dark being empty, it is still peppered with stars.

 _Are you ready to be among the stars, my light, my love?_ Ben thinks to Rey.

 _I am one with the Force and the Force is with me, Ben Solo._ Rey winks.

Ben turns his head and meets Rey’s lips somewhere in the middle of them. There is finally balance and the galaxy no longer needs them.

 _I love you._ Ben and Rey think to each other at the same time as they evaporate into the air. Melting into the Force together is easier than one would assume. It feels like going home, it is simple and makes sense.

 

***

 

The ball of light falls below the horizon as the cliff sits empty. Waves continue to crash against the rugged rocks and everything goes on like normal.

PAD sits powered off in the corner of a hut. Beside him, R2 and C3PO rest in low power mode waiting for the day when they can tell their story to a whole new generation. R2 will ensure that no one forgets the truth about the Skywalker legacy.  

Two lightsabers sit alone in the middle of a table as the Force continues to sing its familiar song for all of the galaxies to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! It's over and I honestly can't believe it! I've managed to successfully finish my first ever fanfic. 5 months and 118,000 words later and here I am! I debated so many different ways of wrapping this up but I finally settled on this one. Saying goodbye to these characters is hard but I think it was time to bid them adieu in this case. 
> 
> I want to thank everyone for supporting me through this proccess! Thank you for reading this much and leaving all your comments and kudos! They honestly motivated me to write chapters even when it was hard but I'm so glad I pushed through and made it to the finish line! Love you all! 
> 
> Reylo on! <3 :)


End file.
